The Will Of D
by The Animaniac Dude
Summary: Luffy loses his entire pirate crew to marines in a final battle at raftel, only to find there never was any treasure there. When a man long thought dead instead appears and takes luffy under his wing, nothing is as it seems. the Will Of D lives on. LuNa.
1. Realization At Raftel

Hi, everybody! This is the animaniac dude, with my newest story, The Will of D! I've been reading my first real favorite manga, One Piece, for a few days now, and, I realized something. What IS the will of D? I thought about it, and then, I realized that wanted to write a story about it! I've had so many ideas about what I could do; I think this could become my next great story! So, here it is!

I do not own One Piece in any way, shape or form. Eechiro oda does.

Luffy stood silently, staring with empty eyes at the collapsed cave where his nakama had once been. The pain was truly too much to bear. They had found it. They had reached Raftel. they had found One Piece. They had achieved all their dreams. Why did the marines have to interfere? Zoro had defeated Hawkeye in a fair fight, then bled to death in the first chamber of the cave. Nami… she had created an electric bomb, and then eradicated the hundreds of marines in the room. Sanji cried bitterly as she breathed her last in his arms.

Usopp, perhaps, died the worst of them all. He had died from a beheading from sergeant Tashigi as he picked off the marines at a distance. After that, the three admirals and Bartholomew Kuma of the Shishibukai appeared, and made short work of Luffy's other friends. Franky, a grim smile on his face, had shoved Luffy into the final chamber, before using the recently-upgraded full capacity of six colas to bring the entire ceiling crashing down on him and the marine superpowers.

Luffy stared with blank eyes, not noticing a stray tear that trailed down his face. With motions not truly made by himself, Luffy walked away, into the final cave in the island of Raftel. What he saw in there finally broke down his last bit of self control. He fell down bawling.

The cave was completely empty. The shadows left by the flickering torches could not hide the fact that there was no treasure. The dust accumulated on the entire floor said volumes. There was no treasure. There never was any one piece on Raftel island. The sound of Luffy's wailing grief echoed through the musty halls.

The sound of a single pair of boots clomping through the dust did not disturb his crying. Neither did the touch. The voice, however, made Luffy realize there was somebody else in the cave full of death. "get up. I won't have my successor sounding like a babbling brook." Luffy looked up, into the face that any pirate knows by heart.

"congratulations. You made it to Raftel. You are the successor of the king of pirates. You have earned one piece." The man said, in a raspy voice not used for many years. "my treasure is yours."

"there is no treasure. The cave is empty." Luffy spoke in a dead voice. The man laughed.

"HAHAHA! You think I would truly leave my life's gains in a place like this? HAHAHAHA! No, my young king of pirates, it is in a different place, a place that only I can access." The man pulled out a small hourglass attached to a necklace. "Come. I shall take you to one piece." He grabbed Luffy's shoulder tightly, flipped the hourglass over, and both old king and new king disappeared.

Bartholomew Kuma punched through the rubble, carrying the three dead bodies of the marine admirals on his shoulder. He looked at the empty room. He looked at the two footprints in the layers of dust. He came to a conclusion. "they are gone."

Luffy landed in a heap, rubbery limbs tangled around himself. Gold roger pulled him up. "here, my young successor. Here is one piece."

A mountainous pile of gold, silver and other precious metals was piled in front of him. Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, jewels of every shape and size were there. There were more encrusted blades, cups and decorative finery than he could count. Luffy stared, before whooping.

"Nami! Nami! Look! We're rich! We're rich! We found one piece! We found it!" Luffy turned around, a massive diamond in his hand. "this must be worth…!" suddenly, in a rush, he remembered. The diamond slipped out of his hand and let out a resonating CHINK! on the ground.

"your crew is gone. I feel your loss." Gold roger grabbed the gold chain and hourglass around his neck and lifted it over his head. "do you know what this is, boy?" Luffy did not move an inch. "this is an ancient artifact from the lost continent, Atlantis." Luffy's ears twitched, thinking of how excited robin would have been if she had heard of both the artifact and the name of the lost continent.

"Atlantis was an engineering monster. They had created and perfected what scientists today are still trying to theorize. They were able to create weapons of mass destruction that made them the undisputed rulers of the world. They were even able to create trees that grew fruit that gave the eater incredible powers." Luffy jerked back, realizing what he was talking about. Gold roger grinned. "what, did you believe that the devil fruit just… magically appeared out of thin air?"

"yeah." Gold roger slapped Luffy upside the back of his head, causing his straw hat to fly off. "Ow!"

"you are a fool. The devil fruit were created by the Atlanteans. You must have seen many in your travels."

"yeah." Luffy inflated himself like a balloon. The king of the pirate's eyes widened in comic shock.

"you!? You have the Gomu Gomu fruit?"

"yeah." Gold roger laughed heartily.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Yes! Very good! It would not do for my successor to have anything less! The Gomu Gomu fruit was one of the atlantean scientist's crowning achievements. They considered it one of their most powerful Paramecia powers due to it's sheer adaptability in attacking. But no matter!"

"how are you still alive? And how do you know so much about the lost continent?" Luffy stared at gold roger. Gold roger laughed.

"haha! Why, we are at Atlantis right now!"

"…lies. The lost continent was destroyed eight hundred years ago."

"ah, but what if we ARE eight hundred years ago?" Luffy, still not believing his story, sat down.

"the Atlanteans worshipped the ancient and powerful deity Kronos, god of time. Many centuries ago, farther back than any recorded history, a god opposing Kronos was rampaging through the land. Kronos took his champion, and gave him a gift. A small hourglass, with all the power of Kronos concentrated inside it. The hero used this gift to defeat the opposing god. However, he was mortally wounded, and he fell into the sea and died. The hourglass slipped from his neck and drifted away, where it eventually found it's way back to Atlantis.

"Kronos, fearing his powers would be abused by evil-doers, Kronos consulted his oracle on what to do. After she told him that a hero would need it one day, he locked it away in a gold chest, along with two identical devil fruits that he himself had created. He then sent the chest to the bottom of the sea, where it would stay until the hero found it." Here he grimaced. "it was not long after Kronos did that when the rebels who eventually founded the world government destroyed Atlantis."

"… That hourglass around your neck…?" gold roger laughed and twirled the gold chain around his hand.

"Aye, 'tis the Kronos hourglass itself. I found it during my diving days, when I was a mere swabbie. The chest was in the shallows, and it was shining as brightly as it had eight hundred years ago. I broke open the lock and I saw the hourglass. Curious as to why a mere bauble was locked away, I took it out and placed it around my neck. I then saw the fruit. As I was starvin' from a day of diving around the reefs, I took one and ate it. The pain came then, and I passed out. When I woke, I was made of water." Luffy watched with fascination as gold Roger's arm disappeared in a splash of clear water.

"I panicked, and I wished I had my body back. No sooner had I thought that when my body had returned." Drops of water flew towards the stump and reformed into his arm. "I knew that I had eaten a devil fruit of some sort, and I worried that my diving days were over. You can imagine my surprise when lo and behold, I could swim better than I ever could before. I could go deeper, faster, and not have to come up for air."

"impossible. Devil Fruit users can't swim." Luffy crossed his arms, disbelief mounting higher. Gold roger laughed.

"that's what I thought! You can imagine my surprise as well when I was transported back here with the hourglass! I got a strange welcoming party as well!" as soon as he said this, gold roger went into a series of spasms. Luffy got up to help him, alarmed, when a voice not his own came out of gold roger. **"stay back!" **Luffy did as he was told. After a minute or so, gold roger stood erect, a strange aura surrounding him.

"**welcome, mortal. I am glad that you are here. I must be quick, for time grows short, and the rebels advance on us. I, am Kronos." **Gold roger/Kronos bowed. **"welcome to Atlantis, king of the pirates."**

"… this is completely insane." The god laughed.

"**hohohohoho! That's what this mortal said when he first came here! but I digress. When the world government destroys Atlantis, my power is gone. I am but a forgotten god, with no followers to give me power. I ask a favor of you."**

"and this is…"

"**when you return to your time, I wish for you to spread the word of Kronos, return me to my former glory. If you do as I ask, I shall grant you my power." **Kronos looped the golden chain around Luffy's neck. **"the power of the Kronos hourglass will be yours. As well as the Mizu Mizu fruit I created."**

"I already have a devil fruit." And with that, Luffy grabbed a golden chest from the top of the stack. "two devil fruits destroy the user." Kronos let out a booming laugh.

"**HAHAHAHAHA! Foolish mortal! Do you think that the powers of a god are truly that weak? The Mizu Mizu fruit is the exception among exceptions! Do you think that the fruit that allows the user to swim would truly stop there? It is compatible with ANY other fruit! It is the only devil fruit that allows you to have two devil fruit powers!" **Luffy remained silent. Gold roger twitched. **"I must return. This human's body is nearing it's limits. The rebels advance. Remember my offer, king of the pirates! Remember it!" **and gold roger collapsed. He stood up as quickly as he fell.

"I hate it when he does that. now, come! We must leave! The rebels are about to bombard the island!" he grabbed the gobsmacked Luffy by the hand, turned the golden hourglass upside down, and disappeared.

"gah!" Luffy gain landed in a tangle of limbs, further complicated by the chest that landed on his head. "ouch!"

"get up, boy. We have work to do." Gold roger picked up the boy by the scruff of the neck. "take a look around, boy. This is going to be your training grounds for the next two years." Luffy glared.

"why am I being manhandled by you? I'm the king of the pirates!" gold roger shook him like a ragdoll.

"you're the king of the pirates when you start acting like one! This will be where you stay for the next two years. Here, we will train you in diplomacy, your Mizu Mizu fruit, mannerisms, swordsmanship-"

"swordsmanship!? But Zoro's the swordsman! I don't need-" gold roger shook him like a ragdoll.

"idiot! I'm not talking about mastery! I'm talking about being able to wield a blade and not chop your arm off! A king always knows a bit of swordsmanship!" Luffy grumbled.

"You'd think there's an actual monarchy, the way you talk…" the pirate king grinned.

"oh, but there IS a monarchy, my little king of the pirates! The monarchy of the sea!" Luffy stared. "you do not believe me? then open that chest you conveniently brought and eat the Mizu Mizu fruit!" Luffy grumbled but opened it anyway. Inside was a fruit shaped like cartoon waves. "eat it!" Luffy grumbled some more, but swallowed it in one bite. He felt the effects immediately. With a scream of pain, he passed out.

when Luffy awoke, there was no pain, no reminiscence of eating the Mizu Mizu fruit. There was… harmony. Harmony with life, and omniscience he had never known. With a start, Luffy realized that he was floating in water. Or, with a sense of growing dread, he was the water. With a scream, Luffy wished he had his body back. No sooner did he think it then it happened. Luffy patted himself down, to find that yes, he did have all his bits and pieces back.

Only then did he realize that he was standing on top of the water. Luffy heard a clapping from the side. "well done! Well done! It took me a while longer to learn how to water walk, and you are doing it right off the bat! My compliments. You may just be a natural for this."

"why do I have to have this anyway?" Luffy stretched out his arm, to confirm that yes, he still was a rubber man. "come to think of it, why are you training me? and how are you still alive?"

Gold roger chuckled softly. "when I gave myself up, they searched me and confiscated all of my weapons and assorted items in my pockets. They forgot about the gold chain around my neck. I realized while I was waiting for my death in that jail cell that whoever found one piece would no doubt be chased by marines and near dead, or have something they wished to redo. I fast-forwarded time to about a week after my death and disappeared to Raftel. I had been waiting ever since. After a marine boat came too close to Raftel before a sea king sank it, I realized that it was too dangerous to leave my treasure in this time. I moved it all back to Atlantis, where only I could retrieve it."

"Now come. The rest of my explanation requires you to see it to believe." Gold roger grabbed him by the scruff again, and pulled him under.

"MMMFF!" Luffy let out a gasp of air, expecting to drown only to find he could breathe, and he could still move. Gold roger grinned.

"it was a little disconcerting my first time, too." He warbled, the water distorting his voice. Luffy's eyes bugged out. He laughed. "hahaha! Yes, we can talk underwater. For all intents and purposes, we have become mermen."

"really?" Luffy said, awestruck, only to realize he had talked too. "COOL!" gold roger laughed. A shark swam by.

"g'day, my liege! Who's the two-legged with you?" Luffy's eyes bugged out even further when he could understand what the shark SAID.

"this is my apprentice. He will one day be the new Poseidon." The shark gaped, before swimming off. Luffy quirked an eyebrow. Gold roger shrugged. "it's the name of the old god of the sea. I merely borrowed it."

"'my liege'?"

"I am the king of the sea. The Mizu Mizu fruit." He said, as if it explained everything. Which it did, sort of. "Now come! We must begin our training!"

Two years later…

Luffy, with reflexes honed from two years of training, jumped out of bed and whirled around with the katana he kept near him at all times, just in time to intercept a slice from gold roger.

"Defend yourself!" he roared as he slashed away at his defenses. Luffy merely spat behind his assailant and melted away. A nanosecond later, the former captain of the straw hat pirates reformed from that drop of spit and hacked away at gold Roger's unprotected backside. The blow connected… only for the former king of pirates to melt away. Gold roger clapped from the doorway. "Bravo! Bravo! You did well against the water clone!"

"You still have to teach me how to do that…" Luffy grumbled.

"Ah, but you wouldn't be able to do it with a mere two years of training. It took me decades of repeated days to master that. Any logia user could learn to do something like that, if they devoted enough time to it. They rarely do, however." Luffy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, you're just lazy." Gold roger went to smack him upside the head, only for Luffy to dodge. "Nope! Not happening!"

"I've trained you well!" he smirked. "Very well! It is time for you to meet with our subjects again!" gold roger gestured for the door, and Luffy walked through. With a running jump, Luffy was in the water and swimming.

"g'day, my lieges!" an octopus merman said as he walked along the shallows. They waved before swimming away. After much greeting of underwater passersby, they reached their destination.

The underwater palace was a sight to behold. The entire building was made out of a long-extinct coral, which shimmered with an unnatural glow. The algae creeping up the pillars of coral twisted and turned, much like vines above the surface. Happy denizens of the sea swarmed in to hear their king's latest speech.

"Luffy. The palace awaits you. We shall make one final announcement to the people, and then… we return." Luffy stared.

"We're finally going back?" all thoughts of the life he had led, once hidden in the haze of time, came rushing to the fore. "We're…" he stopped in the water. Gold roger dragged him along.

"You can have an emotional breakdown later! Right now, you put on your 'happy' face like I taught you!" with great effort, Luffy forced his face into a smile as he waved to the millions of underwater sea folk. Gold roger waved down to them. "My people! It is on a day of greatness that we gather here today! Today, we celebrate the birth of a king!" he yanked Luffy forward as the crowd cheered.

"Many of you know him well! He has mingled amongst yourselves, shared your hardships with you, and celebrated through your times of joy. Today, we celebrate the birth of king Monkey D. Luffy!" the crowd erupted into applause and cheers as a crown of coral was lowered onto Luffy's head. Gold roger made a motion, and the crowd fell silent.

"And yet, not one of you here will live under a day of his rule. Nor will your children, nor your children's children, nor many of your descendants." The crowd murmured confusedly. "But someday! He will return! He will return, and you shall rejoice! You will not be able to tell who he is by name! For he has many names, and he has no name, for they drift away with the currents!" the crowd cheered. "Cheer for your future king! Cheer for the king of the future! Cheer for your king from the future!" gold roger put a hand on Luffy's shoulder, twisted the Kronos Hourglass, and the two kings of the sea disappeared from a thousand years in the past. Back to the time that they belonged in. back to the golden age of pirates.

Bang, beng, Bing, bong, bung, done!

This is the first chapter of what I hope will be a story that inspire many more one piece fans to write their ideas. If it's canon, (real story, and not made up characters) and has enough back plot to explain where your ideas come from, it's probably going to be a good story, and you should post it on fanfiction! That's what this whole place is about!

Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of The Will of D! This is The Animaniac Dude, signing off!


	2. The Journey Begins

Hiya! I think that The Will of D got a good reception, for the world of one Piece fanfiction, so, I started working on it some more! I got this done WAY faster than I originally intended! For those of you following my Naruto story, ASC, ASL, I think I'll put that one on hold for a while. Just until the creative juices for it are flowing again.

So, here we go!

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Disclaimer: don't own.

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Luffy landed in a tangle of limbs. "Whoa! Haven't done this in years!" with a mere thought, he melted into water and reformed tangle free. It was then that he noticed his situation. "Roger… why the hell am I a squirt?"

"Luffy… help…" Luffy whirled around, to see gold roger clutching his chest. "Get over here…" he coughed, flecks of blood coming with it.

"Roger!" Luffy ran over and looped his arm around the older pirate's shoulder, trying to lift him up. He quickly realized that his strangely smaller body didn't have the body strength to do it. "Just, stay here! I'll go get help!"

"Not necessary anymore." With a tap on the cheek, gold roger faded away into Luffy's body. "Ahhhh. Much better." His voice echoed out from… somewhere.

"Roger!" Luffy looked around. "What! Where are you!"

"I'm currently residing in your body. One of the downsides of traveling to the future is that you can't go past your death without serious repercussions. Hurts like hell for every second there."

"That still doesn't explain where you went!" Luffy whipped his head around, looking for the 'dead' king of the pirates.

"In essence, when you travel past your death, you become a spirit. It hurts spirits to be in the physical world without some sort of medium. When I waited on Raftel all those years, in reality, I just went there every five minutes for a few seconds, before traveling back to Atlantis."

"Get on with it!"

"Right, spirits. It hurts spirits immensely to be in the physical world without some sort of medium, so they find some physical thing to inhabit. In short, it hurts a ghost to not have something to possess. With humans, they just share their bodies."

"So… you're sharing my body… so you don't die as a spirit. I think I get it." Luffy scratched his head. Gold roger laughed.

"Good to know those years of studying did something!"

"Still… why the hell am I a squirt! I'm puny!" he waved his diminutive arms around. "I don't like being short!"

"That's another drawback of time traveling. If you travel somewhere in your lifetime, you revert to the age you were then. I'd say that you're roughly around the age of… six or seven." Luffy tapped his chin.

"That's… right around when shanks got the devil fruit." He summoned up a ball of water. With a wave of his hand, the ball flattened out and formed an impromptu mirror. "I haven't got my scar yet, so, it's not yet time." He dispelled the water and looked around. "I'm in the forest, so this is probably the first time grandpa tossed me in. I'd say that's about… a day or two before shanks gets the Gomu Gomu." Gold roger whistled appreciatively.

"That's some impressive deducing. You did this all in your head?" Luffy grinned sheepishly.

"Well… during the nights, I tried to remember everything I had done. So, I could…" he mumbled something. Gold roger, however, heard what he said.

"Well, of course we're making it better than before! That's the whole reason I brought you back! If I had a body, I'd smack you!" Luffy did that for him. Gold roger laughed. "Nice!"

"Well, we've got a few more hours before grandpa comes back for me. Might as well make myself comfortable." With a slingshot off the treetops, Luffy was flying through the air. "There!" pulling himself through the trees, Luffy shot off for the giant lake he had seen.

"FWAAA!" shedding clothes in midair, Luffy shot into the lake butt-naked. "God, I stink! I hated baths, didn't I?" with a quick refreshing in the lake, Luffy dried off doggy style. "Now that we've got that out of the way…" while he was putting his clothes on, a thought struck him. "Roger… what would happen if I ate another Gomu Gomu fruit? Would I explode or something?"

"Hmm… I suppose in different circumstances, yes, you would die. But since it's the exact same devil fruit you ate, I suppose your body would think it got a double dose. If I had to guess, I'd say it would effectively double your powers." Luffy nodded, relieved.

"Good. I was worried." A wild boar ran through the clearing. Luffy grinned. "Hello, lunch!"

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"I never cease to be amazed at your appetite. You ate the entire thing." Gold roger said in a rueful tone as Luffy used a bone to pick at his teeth. "What now?"

"I suppose I wait around. Wait until grandpa comes to pick me up. That shouldn't be for a few hours."

"Luffy! Where are you, you little punk!" Luffy looked up, surprised.

"Well. That's unexpected. And convenient. Sweet." Luffy stood up, dusting himself off. "I'm over here, grandpa!" a tree toppled, and Monkey D. Garp landed in the clearing. With a grunt, a coconut flew out of his hand and towards Luffy. Luffy reached for his sword, only to realize it wasn't strapped to his side anymore. The coconut hit him straight in the face. "Oww! The hell, grandpa!"

"That's what you get for making me search for you! You were supposed to be passed out in the beginning of the forest, not out here surviving!" Garp roared, though inwardly his mind was in turmoil. 'He reached for a sword he didn't have. I know enough swordsmen to know that move. What happened in the three days out here?' Luffy grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. Get me home."

"Brat! If you're okay, then find your own way home! I came in to check on you!" and with that, Garp leaped away, riding away on the toppled tree. Luffy sighed.

"I can see how he's related to you. You two are identical. Gold roger snickered.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Didn't he catch you?"

"nah. He was the first marine to find me. I was looking to give up, because my illness was getting worse. He was just the closest one I could find."

"Illness? Shouldn't you have died or something?" gold roger laughed.

"No, I traveled back to when our ship's doctor was still with us whenever it got bad. I would take over my younger self, and pretend to be extra sick. Crocus would give me a double dose, and I would take the extra." Luffy nodded slingshooting off the treetops after his grandpa.

"Nice. That's pretty clever."

"I aim to please." Any further talk was silenced when Luffy latched onto the tree Garp was riding. Luffy wriggled into the inside and waited until Garp reached the town. The mayor walked up.

"Where's Luffy?"

"The little bugger was doing fine! He looker worse going in! He'll make a great marine yet!" Garp laughed. Luffy stood up.

"I'm not going to be a stinkin' marine! I'm going to be a pirate!" Garp gurgled before whirling around. Luffy smirked. "Miss me, grandpa?" Luffy pointed at the hole in the trunk he had hollowed out.

"You… you… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Garp laughed hysterically. "You, you hitched a ride back to town! You, hahahaha!" Garp slapped Luffy on the back. Luffy didn't budge an inch. "And you've put on some muscle! You changed a lot in that forest! If you were old enough, I'd take you to get a drink!"

"No need!" Luffy reached behind his grandpa, grabbed the hip flask on his belt, and drained it in one gulp. He coughed immediately. "Whoo! That stuff is potent!" Garp blinked, before laughing again.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Luffy, you little brat! You are a piece of work! Keep this town interesting while I'm gone!" Garp ruffled Luffy's hair, leaped on his tree ride, and skidded away. The mayor stared at Luffy.

"What?" Luffy shrugged. "It was potent! I'm gonna go get some sleep!" and Luffy ran off. The mayor sighed.

"You can tell those two are related…"

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"Fwaaaa!" Luffy yawned and stretched, the day-long sleep addling his senses. "g'mornin', roger. What time is it?"

"About ten in the morning. You get a good sleep?" Luffy rubbed his eyes, the crusts of sleep falling to the ground.

"Yeah. It was good without you jumping me at o'dark thirty." Luffy threw off the sheets of his bed and jumped out. He immediately jumped back in. "cold!" roger laughed. "Shut up! It's not funny!"

"I'm sure it isn't. But you'll have to get out sooner or later. You have things to do today." Luffy frowned, before stretching his arm and grabbing the slippers on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." Putting on the slippers, Luffy walked into the kitchen. Seeing a cold ham on the table, Luffy ate the whole thing in one gulp. He picked up the note beside it. "Gone to work. You better not destroy anything. The mayor." He shrugged. "Oh well! Now, where's that knife…"

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"Hey Luffy! What're you up to now!" Luffy huffed standing on the bowsprit of the red-haired pirate's ship.

"I've had it with you guys! Now you'll have to take me seriously! THIS IS HOW TOUGH I AM!"

Shanks laughed and pointed. "Ha ha ha! Get it over with! Whatever it is!" Luffy stabbed himself right below his eye with the knife. "HUH!"

"YEOWWW! AAARGH!" Luffy screamed.

"You idiot! What'd you do that for!"

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"A toast! To Luffy's… courage… AND TO OUR NEXT GREAT VOYAGE!" "Har har har har! Drink up!" "Grog! Grog! Grog! More grog!" "Hey, that's my meat!" "Not anymore! I'm gonna eat it!" "Stop fighting, you'll spoil the fun!" the cacophony of voices echoed out of the tavern. Luffy grinned, tears in his eyes.

"It didn't hurt a bit!"

"LIAR! That was a foolish thing to do!" shanks yelled.

"I'm not the least bit afraid of getting hurt! Take me with you on your next voyage! I wanna be a pirate too!" shanks laughed.

"You! A pirate! Impossible! Luffy, do you know why they call you anchor? Because you don't swim-you just sink! What good is a pirate who can't swim?" Luffy huffed.

"But it doesn't matter if I can't swim if I don't fall overboard! And I'm a strong fighter too!" he punched the air. "I've been training! My punch is as powerful as a pistol!" a crack of a pistol filled the air. Shanks stared.

"A pistol, eh? Is that so…"

"I'll prove it!" Luffy jumped up on the counter and socked shanks in the face. Shanks went ass-over-teakettle into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Luffy blew on his fist as if blowing away gun smoke. "See! A pistol!"

"Holy hell! Captain got sent flying by Luffy!" Yasopp the sharpshooter gawked. "A toast! To Luffy's pistol punch!" the crew cheered as the glasses clinked. Shanks stood up, nursing his bruised face.

"Damn, Luffy! You weren't kidding! What're you eating!" Luffy grinned.

"Meat and milk!" shanks blinked once before realizing he was being put on. He laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Not bad, kid, not bad! I might just take you on a voyage in a couple of years!" he slapped Luffy on the back. Makino walked out from the back, carrying a large barrel full of grog.

"Captain shanks! I'm glad to see your crew is enjoying themselves!" she turned to Luffy. "Luffy, would you like something to eat?" he grinned.

"Yeah! Just put it on my treasure tab!" shanks looked over at the 'anchor'.

"Treasure tab? Don't try to swindle the lady!" Luffy pounded on the counter with his fists.

"I'm gonna become a pirate captain, find lots of treasure and come back to pay her!" makino giggled. "I even found some already!" Luffy pulled out the Kronos Hourglass. "But I'm not trading it for anything!"

"Why not? You could pay for the meal…" shanks questioned, impressed that Luffy had found such an impressive looking bauble in the town.

"Because it's my first treasure! I'm not giving it up!" he stuffed it back down his shirt. "I'm keeping it!"

WHAM! "Make way for the scourge of the mountains!" a man cried from the entrance to the tavern. "Heh… so you're all pirates, eh? First time I've seen pirates… you look like a sorry lot to me." the crew stared at him, all motion gone. Luffy laughed hysterically. The mountain bandit looked up. "What's this runt's problem?"

"BWAHAHAHAH! Do- do you realize who you just insulted!" Luffy laughed hysterically, shanks staring at him. "You just insulted the entire crew of the red-haired pirates!" one of the mountain bandits went white as a sheet.

"B-b-b-b-b-boss! Red-haired shanks! From the grand line!" Luffy took advantage of the commotion the bandit caused to open the chest with the devil fruit and swallow it. "One of the yonko!"

"I don't care who he is, he still looks like a wuss!" he turned to makino. "Now, don't wet yourselves. We're not here to bust up the place. Just sell us ten barrels of grog, and we'll only injure the bare minimum." Luffy snorted. He bandit drew his sword. I'm getting real tired of this punk here! I'm taking you down!"

"Try it!" Luffy leaped off the chair. "My punch is as powerful as a pistol!" he shot his arm out, sending the leader into the crowd of bandits. He snapped his arm back into place. "Oh yeah!"

"LUFFY! "The crowd screamed. "You-" lucky roux quickly sketched out a drawing. "You didn't eat this fruit, did you!"

"Yeah, for dessert! Didn't taste so good, though…"

"Luffy! That was the Gomu Gomu fruit! The fruit of the devil, it's one of the hidden treasures of the sea! If you eat it, your entire body becomes like rubber! And you can never swim for the rest of your life!" Luffy thought for a moment, contemplating his response, before grinning.

"I know! That's why I ate it!" the crew reeled back, before exploding in laughter. The bandit leader forced himself up, a look of pure murder on his face.

"You freak!" he pulled out the pistol on his belt and shot towards Luffy. Luffy didn't move an inch as the bullet hit him in the stomach. With a groan, the bullet shot back out and went through one of the nameless lackey's stomachs. "WH-what are you!"

"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy pulled his cheeks to illustrate his point. The bandits scrambled to get away from the freak of nature in front of them. Luffy turned to shanks and grinned. "I think that earns me a spot on the next voyage!"

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the laughter of shanks echoed out of the tavern as the crew cheered the bravery of Luffy.

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"Hey, Mr. Fishmonger! Give me some fish!" Luffy grinned as he held out the basket to keep the morsels in. the man turned around, slamming his hands on the counter.

"Hey, rubber boy! Why are you in such a good mood today? The pirates set sail without you today, you know? You won't be able to swim for the rest of your life!" Luffy smiled.

"It doesn't matter if I can't swim! If I just don't fall overboard, then I don't have to swim!" he grabbed his cheeks and pulled, the cheeks coming with him. "I'm glad I ate the Gomu Gomu fruit! Look what I can do!"

"You think being gawked at because you're a freak is a great thing, huh? Well, this village doesn't need any more idiots, sonny!" he nodded to the fishmonger as he said his greetings. "For the last time, Luffy, I won't let you become a pirate! It'll make the village look bad! Now, the captain's not such a bad fellow, but you stay away from those pirates!" Luffy merely plugged his ears.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The pirates have been out to sea for a long time, Luffy." Makino said as she scrubbed a glass. Luffy downed the entire glass of fruit juice in one gulp. "Don't you miss them, Luffy?"

"Yeah. I miss them a lot. And shanks never took me on that voyage that he promised." Luffy set down his glass. "But it doesn't matter! Because when I'm a pirate, we're sure to see each other again!"

"Make way for the terror of the highlands!" a familiar voice yelled from the entrance to the saloon. Higuma the Bear looked at the occupants and grinned. "No pirates, today, eh, rubber boy?" Luffy stared, having a sinking feeling as to where this was going. Higuma charged, sword drawn. "Then there's nobody to protect you! DIE!"

"DOWN!" Luffy screamed to Makino as Higuma made a swipe. Luffy merely bounced out of the way and out the door. "Come and get me, you sack of slime!" Higuma growled.

"What are you doing, you imbeciles! GET THAT BOY!" the crew charged after him. Makino ran after them, hoping to get to the mayor's house in one piece.

"Nyah nyah ny nyah nyaaaah!" Luffy stuck out his tongue as he bounced to the harbor. Higuma drew a knife and threw it at the retreating figure. Luffy caught it midair. "Didn't your mother tell you knives are dangerous?" he tossed it back, puncturing the knee of one of the bandits. Higuma left him screaming in pain as his quarry continued to run.

"You, little, BASTARD!" with a burst of speed, Higuma slashed across Luffy's torso. Luffy dodged it, doing a bend that would have limbo-goers jealous. Only when Luffy stopped running did Higuma realize where he was.

"Hey, shanks! We've got some old friends to see you!" Luffy yelled up to the ship. He grinned at Higuma. "Now, things get interesting!"

"Luffy?" shanks peered over the guardrail, only to pull back. "Red-haired pirates! We've got a fight on our hands!" Higuma screamed.

"You'll not rob me of my prize!" with that, he pulled a pellet out of his belt and threw it on the ground. When the smoke cleared, Luffy and the bandit were gone, and a small dinghy was swiftly rowing out to sea.

"Shit!" with a running leap, Shanks was in the water and swimming after the small boat.

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Luffy struggled against his bonds as Higuma panted. "Damn pirates… but they'll not get me! It's time for you to die!" with a kick, Luffy was in the water. Higuma laughed hysterically. "Yes, yes! Drown, you little freak!" a growling behind him froze him. "No… NO… NO!" the sea king swallowed him whole. After a few seconds of gurgling, it spat back out the sword the bandit was using. Luffy gaped at the carnage. The sea king turned its beady eye on Luffy.

"No!" shanks grabbed Luffy as the sea king swam forward. Luffy gritted his teeth. 'Dammit! Just like before! Not again!' a voice echoing out froze all three.

"LEAVE. By order of Poseidon." The sea king froze, its yellowed eyes widened. It turned around and swam faster than it ever knew how. Shanks was frozen, having recognized the voice.

"Captain…?" the sea swirled about. A large glob of water rose up and molded itself. When it was finished, the form of gold roger stood there. "C-capt-captain! B-but you- you're-"

"Dead? Aye, that I am." Gold roger chuckled. "I have chosen this boy as the next king. See that he makes it to his coronation." Shanks was frozen. "That's an order."

"a-aye aye, captain." Shanks whispered. Gol D. Roger smirked before melting away. Luffy was impressed, but decided to keep up the act.

"Shanks… who was that? Why did he appear out of water?" shanks looked at the small boy in his arms.

"Luffy… the man you just saw… was gold roger, king of the pirates."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So you won't be coming back to this village after this voyage?" Luffy asked, wide-eyed at the thought of his childhood hero leaving yet again. Shanks nodded, his captain's cloak draped around his shoulders.

"That's right. We've been using this harbor as a base of operations for a long time. Maybe a little too long. Are you sad?" he turned to Luffy.

"Of course I'm sad! But I'm not going to ask to come with you! I've decided to become a pirate on my own!" Shanks smiled.

"It wouldn't do you any good. You're still too little!" Shanks pointed and laughed, though not maliciously. "There's no way you can become a pirate!"

"Yes I will!" Luffy yelled, attracting the attention of the entire harbor. "One day I'll have a ship and crew better than yours! And we'll have the biggest hoard of treasure in the world!" he took in a deep breath. "I'M GONNA BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!" Shanks stared, smiling wistfully.

"Hmm… so you're gonna be better than us, are you?" he took off the straw hat on his head. "Then you won't mind if I loan this to you for a while." He placed the straw hat on his head. "Do me a favor… keep this hat safe for me?" he took away his hand. "This hat means a lot to me." he turned to walk away. "Promise that you'll return it, when you've become a great pirate." He walked towards the ship, away from a silently crying Luffy. "Heh. That kid acts like me when I was his age."

"Yeah. He's gonna make something of himself one day. HOIST THE SAILS! WE'RE OFF WITH THE TIDE!

Luffy smiled as the pirate ship disappeared in the distance. "So, roger. What are we gonna do for the next ten years?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ten Years Later…

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"Well, he's finally setting out, eh, mayor? I'll miss the little rascal." Makino smiled as Luffy set out in the little dinghy. The mayor snorted.

"If he does become a pirate, he'll bring shame to the village." He scowled as the fishmonger laughed.

"Wow! Great day to go out to sea, isn't it, roger?" Luffy grinned as he slumped back in the tiny boat, straw hat shading his eyes. The sword of Higuma the bandit lay strapped to his waist, having salvaged it before it could rust.

"Yes, it is a perfect beginning to the voyage. But what about the sea king?" Luffy dismissed his worry with a wave of his hand.

"Ah, no worries." A roar echoed as water shot out from where the sea king surfaced. "Speak of the devil! Our resident sea monster!" he stood up, and spread his arms wide. "I greet you with much joy, warrior of the sea. May the hunt be fruitful and filling." The sea king hesitated as Luffy spoke the ancient greeting. "it's okay. I speak sea king."

"_how can this be? A human with knowledge of the ancient customs?" _the sea king hissed in a guttural tone. _"who are you?" _Luffy stood for a moment, trying to translate the hissing before speaking again.

"I have many names and I have no name, for they drift away with the currents." The sea king reeled back.

"_Poseidon! You claim to be Poseidon!" _the sea king growled. _"prove it. Prove to be you are the king of the sea." _Luffy grabbed a handful of water and formed it into a glob hovering above his palm. _"you! you truly are Poseidon!" _

"yes. I am Poseidon." Luffy nodded. The sea king lowered its head and extended its fins, the sea creature's way of bowing.

"_I am yours to command, my liege." _Luffy nodded.

"keep me company for a while. It will get lonely without human companions. What's your name?"

"_I am shredder, my liege." _Luffy grinned.

"good to meet you, shredder! I'm Monkey D. Luffy!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And the voyage is on! Already Luffy is making some changes, and he's only just started the voyage! What else does he have planned? Stay tuned for the next chapter, because it's only going to get better from here!

Review. You know you want to.


	3. Tough Marines Don't Cry

Thanks for all the reviews you guys have sent me! It really warms my heart to see so many of you like my story! Thank you all, my fans!

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Disclaimer: in soviet Russia, you own one piece. Everywhere else, eichiro oda does.

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"So tell me, Shredder. What has become of my kingdom since I left, hundreds of years ago?" Luffy asked as the sea king pulled his boat along.

"_To use a two-legged phrase, it's been shot to hell. There are rebellions, merman gangs, and more disbelievers in Poseidon than stars in the sky. Your influence is needed badly if the undersea world is to ever recover." _Luffy was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Thank you, shredder. Your honesty is appreciated." Shredder bowed his head. "I am sad to say you will not be able to accompany me for very much of the journey. In fact, I fear that we may part ways within the day. I wish for you to go into the sea and tell the world that Poseidon has returned. Tell them that I have returned to my people."

"_It shall be done, my liege."_ Shredder tensed. _"There is a disturbance in the currents. A whirlpool, perhaps?" _

"Yes, I felt it too. This is where we part ways. Remember my wishes, Shredder. Remember to instill hope in my people! The king of the sea has returned!" with that, Luffy chopped the rope attached to the sea king, and Shredder swam off into the depths. With a sigh, Luffy crammed himself into the barrel. "So, got any ideas on what to change?"

"What do you think needs to be changed?" gold roger responded. Luffy frowned for a moment.

"I think… that something needs to be done about the world government. The entire thing as an apple that's rotten to the core. It needs to be thrown out and have a fresh apple put in its place." gold roger hummed.

"So, you are truly declaring war on the world government, not just voicing your opinions, like in Enies Lobby. You are going to bring the fight to them." Luffy grunted in affirmation as the whirlpool caught the dinghy. "In that case, then you're going to need a much bigger crew than what you had before. No… you need an armada."

"An armada? Like Don Krieg?"

"That's right. Before, your crew was perfectly fine for just being a pirate. But you are effectively saying you are going to war with the government. And you need the war-time positions filled. Intelligence and strategy, espionage, propaganda, torture and interrogation, recruitment, hunters and trackers, the whole works. Then there are your kingly duties and relationships with other pirates. You will need an ambassador for the sea world among your crew. There will no doubt be an ambassador from one of the yonko as well, once you have gained power. You need to throw the whole world against the world government in order to win. You need a complete and total uprising." Luffy was silent. "I will sift through your memories for any people you have met that could fit the criteria."

"Going to war… it's difficult, isn't it?" Luffy whispered as he flew through the air, the whirlpool spitting him out.

"War is painful for all sides. Yet sometimes, it is a necessary evil." Gold roger was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I see many of your enemies who can fit many of these positions. The first I can readily see is captain Kuro for intelligence and strategy. He is a captain as well, so you can add the Black Cat pirates to your armada when he joins."

"Oh, sure, right. Add captain Kuro to the straw hat armada and alienate Usopp, because Kuro tried to kill Miss Kaya, his best female friend. Yeah. Sure. I can totally pull that off." Luffy said sarcastically.

"The Straw Hat Armada… it has a nice ring to it." Gold roger whispered. "You can do anything you wish, if you follow the training I gave you." Luffy made a raspberry noise to show his disbelief. "Sleep, young general. You have a ways to drift yet." And to his astonishment, Luffy's eyes grew heavier and heavier, until they closed in blissful sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"…Koby and the three of us know about this." Luffy groggily opened his eyes, only to hear voices outside his barrel.

"I guess you're right." One of the pirates outside the barrel said.

"And you ain't seen nothin' right, Koby?" the first pirate turned to Koby and glared menacingly. Koby backed up, waving hands in front of him as if it would dispel the glare.

"Right! I-I ain't seen nothin'! Heh Heh Heh, please don't hit me…" Koby tried to shrink down into the woodwork." The pirates grinned.

"Then let's have a drink!" they pried off the lid, only to gape at what was inside. "What the devil!" Luffy grinned.

"Thanks for the help, Koby! I'll take care of Alvida now!" Luffy leaped out of the barrel and incapacitated the three pirates within seconds. Luffy brushed his hands of as Koby stared. "What?"

"H-how do you know me! Why did you say that! Oh, when they wake up, they'll go tell Alvida that you said that, and then I'll get the iron mace!" Koby rocked back and forth. "What do I do, what do I-" Luffy thumped him on top of his head.

"Idiot! Alvida's not going to find these three! Now, where's some rope…" within seconds, Luffy extracted a length of rope from a sea chest in the corner of the room. With deft movements, the three unconscious pirates were tied up. Luffy thought for a moment, before grinning. "You know what! Never mind! Alvida's going to find these three!"

WHAT!" Koby screamed, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Yeah! I'll leave a message with them and string them up from a tree! I'll make it look like it's from a famous bounty hunter, and it'll send her into a blind panic! It'll be hilarious to watch the old biddy scurrying around like a cat with its tail on fire!" Luffy laughed, before grabbing a marker and a sheet of paper from the sea chest. With his tongue between his teeth, Luffy managed a decent forgery of his first mate's handwriting. "c'mon, help me carry these three."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Lady Alvida! Lady Alvida!" a pirate ran up to the fat woman. "We found three of our men unconscious and strung up from a tree! This note was attached!" he handed her the note. Taking a cursory glance at it, she crumpled it in her fist and threw it to the ground.

"Blast! Roronoa Zoro's found our hideout!" she pounded the timbers of the boat with her iron mace. Within seconds, the entire crew was on the deck. "Listen and listen well, you brainless idiots! Roronoa Zoro, the pirate bounty hunter has come for me! I expect you all to protect me with your life! Pan out through the island and find him! Now, who's the fairest in all the seas!"

"Lady Alvida!" the crew roared before charging off onto the island. When she looked at where they were all standing, only one man was left.

"And why are you just standing there! Go out there and protect me from Roronoa Zoro!" the man, whose face was shaded by the straw hat he was wearing, smirked. "Wait… you're not in my crew… who are you!"

"It's not Roronoa Zoro you need to fear…" the man looked up. "It's the name Monkey D. Luffy that should strike fear in your heart!" the captain of the Alvida pirates unshouldered her mace.

"I see… you sent my men on a wild goose chase so that I would be separated from them. Clever." She swung the mace fearlessly. "I'll give you one chance to save your life! Who is the fairest woman in all the seas!"

"I dunno. I know it's not you." Alvida turned puce. "What? It's true! You have horrible freckles, you are extremely overweight, and you have a violent disposition! If someone says you're not beautiful, you kill them with your iron mace!"

"You, you insolent BUG!" with a roar, she swung down on the annoying pest in front of her. She rage turned to confusion when the man didn't budge. Luffy grinned.

"See? That's exactly my point! In order to be beautiful, you need to have a great body and a great personality! You have neither!" he pushed the giant mace off of him with little effort. "Now, it's my turn!" he wound up. "Gomu Gomu no PISTOL!" his fist shot out and socked Alvida in the face. Alvida was unconscious before she hit the ground. Luffy sighed. "Too easy."

"Luffy… that's Alvida?" gold roger said with something akin to horror. "But… Alvida's slim and gorgeous… I was going to say to bring her along as eye candy…" Luffy blinked rapidly before bellowing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No, she looks like this until she eats the slip slip fruit. Then she becomes 'slim and gorgeous.'"

"MAKE HER EAT THE SLIP SLIP FRUIT! I AM BEGGING YOU! I CAN'T STAND THE HORROR IN FRONT OF YOU!" gold roger screamed. Luffy fell to the planks of the ship bawling his eyes out in laughter.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man! That's the most selfish thing I've ever heard you say! And yet…" he looked over at the out-cold captain. "I can't help but agree with you." scribbling a note on the backside of his bounty note from 'Roronoa Zoro', he stuffed it in the inside of her jacket. "Let's go get ourselves a dinghy."

Koby was never more afraid in his life. He ran with all the speed his legs could provide, and yet the pirates were still gaining on him. "Look out below!" Koby looked up, only to see a huge cloud of dust form where the mysterious barrel-man landed. He stood up, apparently without a scratch. "I've defeated your captain. Throw down your weapons if you want to live." They continued charging. "Have it your way! Gomu Gomu no GATLING GUN!" a flurry of fists flew from Luffy, knocking the entire pirate crew senseless. He grabbed the nearest one by the scruff of the collar. "Where's the boat shed?"

"I-I-I-it's behind the ship! Please don't kill me!" Luffy nodded before knocking him unconscious.

"c'mon, Koby. Let's get out of here."

"What! Your arm! It just stretched! What are you! Who are you!" Koby was shaking. Luffy turned and grinned.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna become king of the pirates!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Lady Alvida! Are you all right!" one of the few conscious men scrambled over to the fat pirate lady, who was shakily standing up.

"He… he hit me… that man hit me… no man has ever done that before…: Alvida put a pudgy hand to her face. A piece of paper slipped out of her jacket. "what's this?" bending down to pick it up, she saw the bounty hunter's note, before realizing there was an arrow to the other side of the page. "Huh?"

'To Alvida. Y'know, you have the potential to become beautiful, but frankly, you just don't have it yet. I have an idea for you, however. You must have heard of the cursed devil fruits. Find the 'slip slip' fruit. It will cause you to be beautiful. Find me again when you are beautiful, and I may just let you join my pirate crew. Monkey D. Luffy.' Alvida reverently placed the note back in her jacket. "Where can we find the slip slip fruit?"

"The devil fruit? Err… I believe the mahogany pirates were boasting that they had it…"

"Hunt them down." Alvida twirled her mace. "I will have that devil fruit no matter what!"

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"A monster, huh?" Luffy said, sitting cross-legged on the bowsprit.

"Yeah! Roronoa Zoro is also known as the 'pirate hunter', he's very scary! Rumor says that he's like a bloodthirsty hound! He wanders the seas and hunts down pirates! He's a monster in the form of a man! So let's drop the idea of recruiting him…"

"So you've heard the rumors of Roronoa Zoro. Now let's see if you're heard of Lieutenant Morgan's." Luffy replied. "They say that he's the most corrupt, power-abusing man in the east blue, and he has a son who continually uses the fear of his father to get whatever he wants." Koby had started trembling. "I bet that Zoro is a good person, but somehow ended up pissing off one of those two. I'll bet that's why he got captured." He turned to Koby. "You'll have to rise above all that corruption if you're going to be a marine."

"Wha! How'd you know!" Koby drew back.

"It was in your eyes. The shock and mortification that your childhood dream of becoming a marine was filled with such evil men." Luffy ruffled Koby's hair. "I think you'll make a fine marine. I don't care if you'll end up chasing me one day, I'll help you accomplish your dream." Koby's lower lip was trembling. "Stop that! Tough marines don't cry!"

"But…!" Luffy sighed.

"Fine, then! I'll just have to tutor you!" Koby looked up.

"Wha…? What do you mean?" Luffy grinned.

"I'll tutor you in the finer points of being a marine!" Luffy jumped down to the body of the boat, amid much rocking. "First! Marines don't cry. Second! Marines don't show fear! Third! Marines follow and uphold the sense of justice in the world! Fourth!" here he looked Koby square in the eye. "If the real justice becomes corrupt and it doesn't follow your own personal sense of justice, then follow your own personal sense of justice. Never let someone tell you something is right when it is truly and horribly wrong." The boat scraped against sand. All at once, Luffy's mood changed. "YEAH! We've hit land! Now to find Zoro and make him join my crew!"

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"That is one ugly building. I'd hate to live in that monstrosity." Luffy stared at the marine building. "Time to go monster hunting!" with a leap, Luffy was looking over the wall. "Nope, not there." An intimidating aura drifted out from the right. "There he is!" Luffy dragged a struggling Koby along by the hand. With another leap, Luffy was looking over a different wall. "There he is, my newest crew member!"

"Hey! You!" the bound and beaten pirate hunter called out.

"Yeah?" Luffy answered.

"Could you please… come over here and untie me? I've been tied up here for nine days and I'm exhausted." Luffy remained silent. "I'll repay you. I'll hunt down a fugitive and give you the rewards. I'm not lying. I'll keep my word."

"Don't be fooled, Luffy! If you free him, he'll escape and kill you too!" Koby pleaded.

"He can't kill me. He's a swordsman without his swords. He's been tied there for nine days without food. He's beaten and bloodied. It'll be a miracle if he could still walk after that." a ladder thumped on the wall beside them. A little girl scaled it quickly. Luffy grinned. "I know, SHHH!" the girl nodded and clamored over the wall.

"What are you doing? Do you want to die or something…? Get lost!" Zoro said as the girl continually got closer.

"Zoro! She made you rice balls. Eat them. I'll help the girl once you're done." Luffy yelled over the wall. A vein in his neck twitched, before a growl in his stomach answered. Zoro sighed.

"Fine." The girl slowly fed him the rice balls. Not once did he complain about too much sugar. He ate the whole thing. "those rice balls you made were very tasty. Thanks you." Rika beamed at the praise. "Throw away the thing you carried it on. Pretend you came to see the evil bounty hunter, or you'll get tied up too." She thought for a moment, before nodding. She threw the paper away. Just in time, it seemed, as a whiny voice yelled from the entryway into the courtyard.

"Oh ho ho! Are you scaring little children, Roronoa Zoro? I'll have to report this to my father!" Helmeppo spoke as he walked in, two marines trailing behind him. "Now, little girl, what are you doing in here? Didn't you see the sign?" he pointed to the sign. "Anyone who helps a prisoner will be charged with the same crime. Are you trying to help him?"

"Shut up, you bastard son. She came to gawk at the demon bounty hunter." Zoro countered, stepping in when the girl didn't answer. Luffy took that as his cue.

"Rika! Get away from the bad man! He's a demon!" Luffy yelled. Rika looked at him, confusion in her eyes. Helmeppo laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Look! The people are afraid of you!" he picked up the little girl. "Since you weren't trying to help Zoro, I'll be nice to you. Don't let my father find you! He'll kill you!" and with that, he handed her to one of the marines. "Toss her to them."

"But! Sir!" Helmeppo grabbed the man by his shirt.

"I'm telling you to throw this brat out! Are you trying to disobey me! I'll tell my father!"

"ay-aye, sir!" the marine picked up the small girl and shot-putted her to Luffy. The rubber man caught her without a hitch. He set her down gently.

"You did well in there, Rika. Now, you just stay here. I've got to go talk to Zoro." Luffy peered over the wall. Helmeppo was apparently done talking to Zoro, as he twirled around and stalked out of there. Luffy leaped over the walls. "That was a good thing for the girl that you did. Those rice balls were too sweet, weren't they?"

"That was some good acting you did there. Pretending that you were the girl's friend when you only met her seconds before." Zoro replied. "What are you still doing here? The bastard son might come back at any time."

"You do realize that they won't keep their promise to free you a month from now? The Morgans are corrupt. They will execute you to make an example of people that defy their will." Zoro sighed.

"You're wrong. That kid promised to free me after a month. I intend to stay alive for that long." Luffy nodded.

"If I bring proof that he doesn't intend to keep his word, will you join my pirate crew?" Zoro looked up.

"A pirate… so, you just gave up on life and became a crook, huh?" Luffy shook his head.

"No. it's been my dream to become the pirate who finds One Piece." Zoro chuckled ruefully. "Think about it, Zoro. The captain of the pirate crew that finds one piece, with the first mate Roronoa Zoro, the greatest swordsman in the world." Zoro jerked his head up again. "It would make for good headlines in the paper." Zoro stared, before chuckling.

"I don't know why I'm agreeing to this. You win, straw hat. You find proof that Helmeppo doesn't intend on keeping his word, and I'll join your pirate crew. Don't try and play me for a fool, or I'll slice you up." Luffy grinned.

"And the deal is struck." Luffy leaped over the wall and was gone from sight. Zoro shook his head as he chuckled.

"That kid's got a silver tongue… making a pirate bounty hunter become a pirate… he probably would find one piece, someday…"

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"You mean Zoro actually agreed!" Koby screamed. "Incredible! What did you have to do to make him do that?"

"He said that if I found proof that the Morgans don't intend to keep their word about letting him go after one month, he'll join me as first mate." Koby stared. Rika clapped her hands in childish glee.

"Heh Heh Heh Heh! Who dares raise his head? I'll tell my dad!" Helmeppo strolled down the street casually, the townsfolk groveling before him. "Do you want to be like Roronoa Zoro? I'm gonna publicly execute him in three days! I'll use him as an example for all of you! It's gonna be pretty interesting…" Luffy grinned.

"Bingo." He turned to Koby. "Go to Zoro. Tell him what he just said. Tell him that he's the first member of the Straw Hat Armada. Tell him not to move while I get him his swords." He adjusted his hat. "I'm gonna go raise some hell." With that, Luffy ran up to Helmeppo and socked him in the face. "You bastard! You lied to Zoro!"

"You! You dared to hit me? My father hasn't even hit me once! I'M MARINE LIEUTENANT MORGAN'S SON! I'LL TELL HIM ABOUT THIS!" Luffy crossed his arms and stared.

"Go and tell your precious daddy. I'll send him flying. You need to learn to stand on your own two feet and stop riding on the coattails of your corrupt father." The marines helped Helmeppo up.

"You'll regret hitting me! You're gonna get a death sentence for it! And my dad will be the one who executes you!" Helmeppo ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. Luffy grinned.

"And now it's time to bring the fight to Morgan!" with that, he ran towards the marine headquarters.

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"Mister Zoro, sir!" Koby scrambled over the wall, falling flat on his butt. "Mister Zoro! Luffy sent me! Helmeppo just publicly announced that he was going to execute you in three days! He said that you're the first member in the… Straw Hat Armada!" Koby sucked in a deep breath. Zoro stared.

"Damn. I should have known. Kid!" Koby looked up. "Untie these ropes for me. I've got some business to take care of."

"No! Luffy said that he was going to raise some hell! He said not to move while he gets your swords back!" Zoro sighed.

"That kid knows everything. My dream, my sword style… what next, my favorite food?" he grinned as Koby worked to untie the ropes. "It's going to be interesting, being first mate to him…"

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"rumor says a little mouse sneaked onto the execution site. Is it true?" morgan asked, adjusting his axe hand. Helmeppo tried to get up after the punch his father gave him.

"huh…? O… oh, you mean that little girl… I've already…" morgan didn't need to hear any more.

"Have you executed her!" Helmeppo blanched.

"HUH? No… she… she's just a little girl… she didn't even realize her mistake, she just went in to stare at Roronoa…" axe-hand morgan pointed at a marine.

"hey! you! go into the town and execute her! I don't care how old she is! whoever opposes me will die!"

"b-but, lieutenant! She's just a little girl! I couldn't do that to her!" morgan slowly turned around, his axe hand twitching.

"couldn't do it, huh? You are a marine captain, are you not? And the rank of captain is lower than the rank of lieutenant… isn't it?"

"y-yes, sir." The marine captain trembled.

"**in that case you have no right to go against my order! If I order you to go, then you will go!" **the marine gulped, before speaking.

"I cant!"

"YOU TRAITOR!" blood spurted from where the axe gashed the marine's side.

"you… you didn't have to do that!" Helmeppo screamed.

"never mind… for the sake of reminding the citizens, I will go there myself!" he stroked his arm. "with this arm, I rose to the rank of lieutenant! Rank is the most important thing in the world! I am the highest ranked officer in this base… which means I am the greatest one here! great men don't make mistakes!" he looked up at the statue. "look! This is a symbol of my power! A statue is finished after years of hard work!"

"and it is destroyed in seconds." A voice behind him spoke. "Gomu Gomu PISTOL!" a fist shot out and snapped many of the ropes hauling it up in half. The statue toppled before snapping in half at the waist. The entire assembly stared in abject horror. Luffy grinned. "sorry about that. that thing was an eyesore."

"CAPTURE HIM! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" morgan screamed, rage clouding any and all reason. Helmeppo stared.

"that's him! dad, that him! that's the one who punched me in the face! I told you he no good!" Luffy grinned.

"now that I have your attention…" Luffy ran and leaped off the tower, Zoro's swords in his hand. "come and get me!"

"SHOOT HIM!" morgan roared. "KILL THAT MAN!" morgan raced off into the tower, intent on slaughetering the man who destroyed his statue. The men took aim and fired. Luffy merely smirked. He transformed into water, and the bullets passed through him harmlessly.

"you'll have to do better than that!" Luffy hit the ground running. With a running leap, he was in the courtyard. "Zoro!" the pirate hunter turned, massaging his arms. "catch!" Luffy threw the three swords at him. Zoro effortlessly caught all three in midair and attached them to his waist. Luffy grinned a shit-eating grin. "alright! Now, the fun begins!"

"you're an odd one, captain." Zoro smirked as he drew his blades. "I hope you don't drive me insane."

"nah! It would be boring if I drove my first mate insane!" Luffy drew his own sword. "I have to have someone to talk to!"

Morgan burst into the courtyard. "DIE, YOU BASTARD!" with a swing, axe-hand morgan clove Luffy in two. Zoro stared. "you bastard! You ruined my statue! You got what you deserve for destroying my symbol of power!"

"and it's a good thing I did, too!" the two halves of Luffy spoke. Morgan and Zoro's eyes bugged out. "that thing was absolutely awful!" with nary a second, the two halves of Luffy stood up and refused together, a drop of water rolling down his back. "and morgan…" luffy stabbed him in the stomach. "king outranks lieutenant." Luffy pulled the blade out as morgan fell to the ground. Luffy looked over at Koby, who was staring in horror. "don't worry. I made sure I didn't hit any of the vital stuff. He'll live, once they get him to a doctor." He turned to Zoro and grinned. "now, let's go get some grog! I know that's your favorite food!" Zoro blinked before guffawing.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You really DO know everything about me! but what the hell are you! he chopped you in half and you reform!" Luffy grinned.

"I am… the one who will become the pirate king!"

"no way… they defeated lieutenant morgan…" the crowd of marines whispered amongst themselves at this huge upheaval. Zoro grimaced.

"if you want to arrest, us, come and get us." Luffy shook his head.

"no. they're happy morgan is gone. Aren't you?" the marines took one look at each other before breaking into raucous cheering.

"YES! WE'RE FREE! We're out of morgan's control! Long live marines!" Zoro smiled, before toppling over.

"c'mon, Koby, let's go get something to eat. He's about to starve."

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"hahahahaha! I'm full! I haven't eaten in nine days! I almost starved to death!" Luffy smiled, using a bone to pick his teeth.

"you shouldn't have tried to last a month, then! If I hadn't shown up, you would have starved!" Zoro glared at Luffy.

"you're so scrawny, how can you still eat more than me?" Rika walked up to Luffy.

"you're so strong, onii-san!" Luffy grinned.

"yep! And I'm only getting stronger!" Zoro stopped glaring.

"well, what are your plans?" Luffy shrugged.

"I'll build up a super-crew here in the east blue, and then, we head to the grand line!" Koby choked on the glass of water he was drinking.

"the grand line! You're saying crazy things again! All the world's most powerful pirates gather there! It's the pirate's graveyard! You two wouldn't last a minute there!" Luffy smiled.

"Koby… it's okay to worry about friends… but we know what we're doing. We have dreams that are in the grand line. Are you asking us to give up on our dreams?" Koby sniffed. "it's okay, Koby. We're not going too die. If the world's best pirates gather there, then we'll just have to be better than the best!" the door bell jingled as a marine stepped into the small home.

"excuse me. we were wondering, are you really… pirates?" Luffy smiled.

"yep! But we're honorable pirates! We won't attack your town or anything!"

"be that as it may, we are the marines. We are all grateful for saving the town, so we will not arrest you. however, our duty as marines forces us to ask if you will leave this town. Please leave this town immediately. As for the events that happened here, we will be reporting them to marine headquarters." The town screamed their disapproval. Luffy smiled.

"very well then. We will leave." He turned to Koby. "see you 'round, Koby! Try not to become an indentured slave to any pirates anymore!" the marine twitched.

"he is a pirate?" Luffy shook his head.

"nah. Not really. He went to get on a fishing boat, but accidentally got on a pirate ship instead. I knocked out the pirates and turned them in. he's no more a pirate than morgan was a kind and loving soul." The marine, after some hesitation, nodded.

"I see. So, he's one of your friends."

"nope! Just a passing acquaintance. Hope to never see the little bugger again." By this time, Koby was twitching. The marine nodded.

"very well, then. We shall look after the boy." Luffy nodded.

"good idea. The little guy wants to be a marine or something. I don't really care." Luffy walked out of the house, Zoro trailing behind.

The marine turned to Koby. "so, you want to be a marine?" Koby gulped audibly before nodding. "very well. It is good that you were not on that boat by choice. If you were, you would never even be having this conversation. The way of the marines is a difficult way. Do you still wish to join?" knobby nodded, not trusting his voice. "very well. You will be assigned to chore duty. Work your way up, son." The marine left. Koby nodded, before racing after Luffy.

"that was a nice thing you did back there." Zoro said as Luffy untied the ropes mooring the boat to the dock. "you sure you're a pirate?"

"of course!" Luffy grinned. "but I don't pillage villages! I just like pissing off the corrupt marines!" Luffy became serious. "once I have a reliable and powerful crew, I intend to take on the world government. The entire system is full of corrupt officials like morgan. The government is a rotten apple that needs to be thrown out and replaced with a fresh apple." He grinned at a silent Zoro. "I intend to follow in daddy's steps!"

"who's your dad? Sounds like one hell of a troublemaker." Zoro asked, getting into the boat.

"oh, I'm sure you've heard of him." any further conversation was cut off when Koby's voice rang out.

"Luffy! thank you very much! I will never foget you for the rest of my life!" Koby snapped into a smart salute. Luffy grinned.

"first time I've ever seen a marine saluting a pirate." Zoro muttered.

"what can I say? I have that effect on people!" Luffy joked.

"group salute!" the marine leader cried out. The entire band of marines behind Koby snapped into a salute.

"hahaha! Good bye, marines! Don't follow any more morgans!" Luffy shouted as the boat sailed away.

"you have great friends." The marine leader said to Koby. Koby nodded, his lower lip trembling. He quickly curbed it.

"_stop that! tough marines don't cry!" _the voice of Luffy echoed in his head. Koby nodded. 'I'll never cry again. Because tough marines don't cry! I'm a marine now!' "yes sir! They are wonderful friends!"

"we have just saluted pirates, and violated the marine codes!" the leader yelled. "as punishment, there will be no food this week!"

"yes sir!" the marines chorused.

"we're on our way to the grand line!" Luffy cheered, Zoro sitting on the side. "our next addition: a navigator!"

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Ba-shoo-bop-bop-bop! It is done!

I'm really liking where this story is going! I've got this planned out so much farther than I ever had ASC, ASL! And it's all for you, my adoring fans! Remember, five reviews gets the next chapter!

Review. You know you want to.


	4. Fire The Cannon

And, here's chapter four! I have to say, this is the fastest that the reviews have ever come! Whatever I did last chapter was something good! Enjoy the latest installment in this epic story, my little friends!

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Disclaimer: I don't own one piece. I own the shirt on my back, the computer I'm typing with, a dollar twenty-five, my dignity- up, wait, no, lost that a while ago…

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"Ugh… I'm so hungry…" Zoro moaned. "It's funny that you have no navigation skills. Who ever heard of a pirate who didn't know how to navigate?"

"Who ever said I had no navigation skills? I've been leading us the whole time!" Luffy dipped his hand in the water. "Oops, current's going the wrong way. I'm turning around!" Luffy dipped the paddle in and started stroking. "I have no navigation skills. But I know the sea like the back of my hand."

"Really?" Zoro sat up. "And this is your first time sailing?"

"Yeah!" he grinned. "It's weird! Sometimes I think I have control over water! I can talk to fish, too!" he dunked his head into the water. "Here, fish! We need some company!" a large yellow fish swam up. Luffy quickly snatched it out of the water and slapped it on the bottom of the boat. He grinned. "Who wants sushi?"

"Impressive. Do you think you night have merman in your blood?" Luffy shook his head.

"nah. Aren't they all scaly and slimy and stuff?" he spotted a giant bird flying by. "Sweet! You can have the fish! I'm having chicken!" he grabbed the top of the mast. "Gomu Gomu ROCKET!" he shot up to the bird. "Hey! Bird! Carry me to the nearest town!" it nodded, and grabbed Luffy in its beak. "Whoa! You understand me!"

"_Yes. I understand you." _the bird squawked. _I am a seagull. My name is feathermoon." _

"A seagull, eh?" Luffy itched his head. "Maybe that's why I can talk to you. Seagulls are intimately acquainted with the sea. My name's Luffy. I'm Poseidon!"

"_This does not surprise me. Only an exceptional human like Poseidon could understand the seagulls." _With a flick, Luffy was in the air. _"I will carry you on my back." _Feathermoon caught Luffy. _"There. It is much easier to fly now."_

"You're a pretty big seagull!"

"_Yes. I have always been told that." _Luffy snorted.

"Say, I could use this to my advantage! Have the birds ever had allegiance to anyone?"

"_No. we are free to do what we want. We operate under the council of the sky, our glorious chairmen."_

"How receptive do you think the council of the sky would be to an alliance with Poseidon?"

"_I am not sure. The council works in mysterious ways."_

"Could you somehow introduce the idea to them?"

"_My father works for them. I could try to introduce it through him."_

"Thanks!" Luffy spotted the town down below. "You'd probably let me go down now. There are some cannon happy pirates down there, and they'd probably blow you out of the sky."

"_Very well. It was an unexpected pleasure meeting with you, Luffy." _the bird twirled around in the sky, and Luffy fell screaming.

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"WAHHHHH!" with an unholy crash, Luffy landed in the street. The Buggy the Clown pirates gawked.

"No way… someone fell from the sky!" their alarm only increased when a shadow in the smoke stood up.

"Man! That could've hurt!" Luffy stretched his arms while yawning. "Finally landed!"

"No way! He's still alive!" the pirates scrambled away from him. Nami, sensing an opportunity, jumped on the advantage.

"Oh, boss! You're finally here! I've been waiting for you to rescue me!" Luffy grinned, remembering this little charade.

"Yep! It took me a while to find you, but I'm here!" Nami quirked an eyebrow, but continued on. With a leap, she ran down the street.

"I'll leave everything to you!" the Buggy pirates grimaced at her running, but turned to maul her 'boss'.

Only to find he wasn't there. "Psst! Up here!" Luffy grinned as he hung from the ceiling of a nearby store. "Hi!" he launched off, twirling in the air, cracking all of the pirate's skulls with his foot. "Bye!" he resettled his hat. "Like the performance?"

"Absolutely. You're pretty strong!" Luffy smirked.

"And devilishly handsome to boot!" he waggled his eyebrows at her. She giggled. "So what's you're name, pretty lady?"

"I'm Nami! I'm a thief who only steals from pirates! Want to be partners?" Luffy struck a thinking pose, as if actually considering it.

"Yeah. You know how to navigate?" Nami grinned.

"Of course! I'm the best navigator in the east blue!" Luffy grinned.

"Then let's steal one of these houses for a bit and iron out the details!" and, they did that.

"So, you've just stolen a map of the grand line from Buggy the Clown, a cannon-happy pirate who's dominating this town? Is that it?" Luffy stared at Nami, awaiting a response. She nodded.

"That's right. Those guys you fought were chasing me down because of it." Luffy grimaced.

"I hate guys like him! He gives us pirates a bad name!" Nami went silent.

"You're a pirate? Forget we ever had this conversation! I'd never join up with pirates!" Luffy nodded.

"Okay. The things you hate most are pirates, right? That's why you steal from them?"

"I need to buy a certain village for one hundred million beli! That's why I steal from pirates!" Luffy grinned.

"Well, why didn't you say so? I can loan you one hundred million beli…" his eyes glinted. "For 300 percent interest." He grinned at his own inside joke as Nami gawked, before laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Ah, hehehehehe! That's, hehehe, that's my line! How'd you, hehe, how'd you know?" Luffy shrugged.

"Lucky guess?" Nami grinned. "Say! I got an idea! You want to steal Buggy's treasure, right?" Nami nodded. "And I want to get back at him for ruining the name of pirates, right?" she nodded again, not sure of the direction this was going. "Then, why don't we work together and pinch his money from right under his big red nose?" Nami blinked, before laughing.

"You got yourself a deal, straw hat!" she held out a hand, which he grabbed and shook vigorously. "This is a one-time only thing, though! I'm still not being your navigator!" Luffy drooped comically.

"Awwww! Then I still only have one crewmember! Pleeeaase?" she shook her head. He shrugged. "Eh, worth a shot. Now, here's my plan…"

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"WHAT! YOU LOST TRACK OF THE MAP THIEF! YOU THREE STRONG MEN CHASE AFTER ONE THIEF AND END UP LIKE THIS!" Buggy screamed.

"We're really sorry, captain!" they pleaded. "B-but! There was a really strong guy! He…! He was her boss and he wore a straw hat!"

"DIE A PAINFUL DEATH!" the three crewmen were saved as another nameless crony of Buggy's ran up.

"Captain Buggy!"

"WHAT!" he screamed, spittle flying everywhere.

"The thief we just saw… she returned here herself…!"

"Okay! Bring her in!... what! Came here herself! What'cha talking about?"

"Err… I don't know why… but she's here!" Buggy stamped on the ground.

"Okay! Bring her in then!" no sooner was this said than the door was kicked in, with Nami dragging a bound Luffy in. the three Faceless Lackeys scrambled away.

"AAH! This guy! It's this guy, captain! That's her boss who fell from the sky!" with a grunt of effort, the pirate thief threw the bound rubber man forward.

"I captured the thief, Buggy the Clown, leader of this pirate fleet! I will return your map too!" Luffy snarled.

"You tricked me!" Nami stuck out her tongue in a mocking gesture. Buggy grinned.

"I see… you're obediently returning the map to me… but… why are you doing this?" Nami grinned childishly.

"You see, I got into a fight with my boss! He's an idiot, so I thought I'd join up with you!" Buggy blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! An idiot, eh? You've got spunk, kid! I think I will let you join my crew!" he laughed even harder as the crew cheered. Nami grabbed Luffy and threw him into the iron cage they provided.

"Okay, now what?" Nami whispered as she stuffed him in.

"Pour out a glass of beer in front of Buggy's throne. I'll handle the rest!" Nami nodded slightly. "Oh! And Nami… if it comes down to it… fire the cannon. If you've poured out the beer, I'll be fine." Nami, confused, nodded again. Buggy laughed.

"This calls for a celebration! Boys! Break out the rum!" the crew cheered as the glasses were quickly passed around. "The map of the grand line is mine again! And we have a new crewmate! Everything is going our way! Everybody raise a glass! Live it up, men! Here's to our next conquest!"

"YAHOOOO!" the crew cheered as the drunken antics continued. Nami swaggered up to Buggy, a glass in her hand.

"Captain Buggy!" "She poured out the drink onto Buggy's shoes. "Here's to the next scum we defeat who aren't worthy to lick that slop off your shoes!" Buggy threw his head back and laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You know what! I like you, Nami! You've got spunk! I think I might just keep you!" he slapped her on the back. "Now drink up, me hearty! This is a celebration!" Nami roared.

"Aye aye, captain!" and she proceeded to drink one man completely under the table. With that out of the way, she swayed over to the iron cage. "I poured out the beer. Buggy laughed at it."

"Good. Then I'm perfectly safe. Remember, if it comes down to it, fire the cannon. I'll be safe." Anything else he might have said was cut off as Buggy cackled behind her.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You picked the wrong partner, little thief!" Luffy spat at him.

"She's no partner of mine!"

"Not anymore, eh? Can't blame you! She betrayed you, after all!" he knelt down in front of him. "The punishment for trying to steal my treasure is severe! I've already decided what your fate is gong to be!"

"Oh, good. I've been getting cramped in here, so good of you to let me go!"

"That's right, I'm going to let you go- OF COURSE I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GO!" he turned to the crew. "LOAD THE SPECIAL BUGGY BALLS!" the crew cheered and rushed to what he ordered. "Very well! Now, for a demonstration… OF POWER!"

With a roar of steel and gunpowder, the cannon fired, demolishing an entire row of houses. Nami stared, horrorstruck. Buggy leered. "Breathtaking! That would've leveled a smaller town! With these Buggy balls – and the special powers I got from eating the devil fruit – I'll rule the grand line!" he dragged Nami forward.

"Now it's your turn, girlie! Prove your loyalty by blowing your former boss into mincemeat with this Buggy ball! Show me you're ruthless enough to help me take over the world! KILL YOUR FORMER BOSS!"

"y-you want me to…?" she stared at Luffy. With an almost imperceptible motion, Luffy nodded. Nami gulped. "o-okay!" with a quick motion, the fuse to the cannon was lit. The crew roared with approval. "Good bye, boss!" Nami cried as the Buggy ball fired.

The iron cage was a tangled heap of scrap metal. The crew cheered when not a single remnant of him was left behind. "Well done, girlie! You may just have what it takes!" with a swagger, he sat back down in the throne. "DRINK UP, ME HEARTIES! Here's to our new crewmate, NAMI!" the crew cheered.

"Man! That could've really hurt if I was in there!" the crew went silent. Buggy's eyes were almost as big as his nose.

"You! You're still alive! Where are you, you sack of slime!" Luffy grinned.

"Down here, tomato nose!" Buggy's head whipped down. Luffy's face grinned out of a puddle of beer. "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" Luffy shot out of the water, giving an uppercut to Buggy that had his head flying off. Luffy winced. "OOH! That's gonna hurt in the morning!" he spied Buggy's prone body. "And so is this!" he kicked him in the groin. Buggy's dismembered head squealed in pain. "How'd you like that?"

"Luffy, stop making fun of the pirate clown." Zoro leaped up off the low roof and into the crowd of pirates. Luffy gave him the finger.

"Screw you, Zoro! At least I didn't get lost on the way here!" a vein in Zoro's had twitched.

"That's because you got swallowed by a bird!"

"Because we were hungry! And it all worked out!" he pulled Nami towards him. "Because now we've got ourselves a navigator!" the crew gaped at the familiarity of the infamous Zoro the pirate hunter and this straw hat brat. Nami gaped at the realization that the other crewmember of Luffy's was Zoro. And Buggy gaped from all the pain coursing through him.

"You…! You brat! GHH! You'll regret that!" Buggy launched his hand, clutching a dagger, at Luffy. He merely caught it midair.

"Oh, and Zoro! Try not to fight this guy, he's your natural enemy. He's a chop-chop man. You can slice him, dice him and make Julian fries out of him, and he'll just reform again." Zoro nodded.

"Gotcha." And he screamed out in pain, a floating hand stabbing into his side. Luffy stared at the hand still in his grip, then looked at Buggy, who was handless and trying to help himself back into the throne.

"You… you forget… I have two hands to stab with! I may have… missed the… the important stuff… but it's still a good wound!" the hand pulled out of Zoro and swung at Luffy. He jumped out of the way, and both hands zoomed back to Buggy. Luffy swore.

"Dammit! Nami, we gotta get out of here. Zoro's hurt bad!" Nami nodded, thoughts of treasure banished because of the threat on her life. The three jumped off of the roof, and disappeared.

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"Ghh… damn…" Zoro lay back on the ground, panting. "It hurts…"

"Stop talking, it'll waste your energy." Luffy commanded as he pressed his hands to the wound. "I hope this works… I've never tried this before…" Luffy closed his eyes, and let himself go.

He could hear the heartbeat of Zoro. He could feel the thumping of his heart as it pumped blood into the wound. Luffy breathed in deep and _pushed._ With sheer force of will, the blood flow was redirected from the wound. With agonizing slowness, the wound scabbed over and became blood-free. Luffy fell back, mentally exhausted. "Damn… that was a lot more effort than I wanted it to be…"

"Wh-what did you do! The blood stopped!" Nami gaped at what looked like a miracle happening before her eyes. What are you!" thinking fast, Luffy came up with a lie.

"I believe in one of the old gods." Nami blinked.

"You're religious?"

"Not the gods that the world government sanctions. Those were made up and they have no power." He stood up. "My god is one of the old gods, a true god that the world government hopes to make disappear from the face of the planet."

"You're saying your… old god did that?" Luffy nodded. It wasn't even a lie, per say.

"Yes. The old gods are the gods of the blank century, the hundred years of time that the world government wants nobody to remember. But as long as one person still believes in them, they still have power." Nami stared.

"You…" a roar interrupted her. Luffy grabbed Zoro and slung him over his shoulder.

"It's Mohji the lion tamer. Let's get out of here." and they ran.

After many minutes of running, the three flopped down on the ground. "I think that's far enough." Luffy looked up, and saw a small white dog sitting in front of him. he smiled. 'the mayor will be showing up soon.'

"well! What are you whippersnappers doing in the street?" Luffy grinned.

"hello, mayor."

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"where'd you take Zoro?" Nami asked as she and the mayor walked along.

"to my house. He's resting there now. That boy lot a lot of blood! I'm amazed it scabbed over so quickly! I told him that there was a doctor in the refugee camp, but he said that he just needed some sleep!"

"that's Zoro. He'll be fine." Luffy nodded. "the dog's name is Chouchou?" the mayor looked up, surprised. Nami looked at him as well, a curious look on her face.

"how did you know?"

"never mind how I know. do you think he knows that his master is dead?" Nami gasped, a hand up to her mouth at the callous way he said it. "is he the only thing left in town because he's protecting the only thing left of his master?"

"that's what I believe. He doesn't want to come to the shelter, so I bring him food everyday." the mayor placed the dish of food in front of the white dog. Chouchou quickly scarfed it down. "You know a lot, boy. How do you know all of this?"

"it doesn't matter how I know." Nami looked at Luffy, then pointed to the sky. Luffy shook his head and pointed to himself.

"ROOWWRR!" a bestial growl echoed around the streets. The mayor panicked.

"that must be Mohji the lion tamer! Let's get out of here!" he grabbed Nami and pulled her out of sight. Luffy looked to the dog.

"looks like it's just you and me, boy. Let's protect this shop together." Chouchou barked his approval. The giant cat, with the lion tamer himself astride, walked around the corner. The lion growled.

"well, well. Look at what we have here… I'm Mohji, Buggy's first mate. They call me the lion tamer!" he laughed. "ha ha ha… it looks like your friends abandoned you. and after all that running you did…" the lion paced forward. "captain Buggy is pretty worked up… you guys stirred up a real hornet's nest."

"I know we did. That's why we did it." Luffy grinned. Mohji twitched.

"you have guts, I'll give you that. but you cannot defeat me. tell me where the rest of your friends are, and I may just let you live." Luffy stroked his chin, almost as if thinking. Nami, who was peering around one of the houses, swore.

"dammit! The bastard's going to give us away! I should have never trusted him!"

"no." Luffy answered. "they're too much fun."

"THEN DIE! GETTEM, RICHIE!" the lion pounced. Luffy went down in a tangle of limbs. Nami gasped, her hand up to her mouth when a spurt of blood sprayed in the air.

"I don't think so!" Luffy grinned, his sword drawn and impaled on the lion. Luffy stood up and pushed the lion off. "I suggest getting that lion to a vet soon. I missed all the bad stuff, but it'll still bleed to death without treatment."

"RICHIE! YOU BASTARD!" Mohji charged. Luffy sighed.

"very well." Luffy sheathed his sword. "your captain's not the only one with powers!"

"wah!" Mohji tried to turn around and run away, but Luffy caught him.

"say good night!" with a twirl of his arms, Mohji the lion tamer was sent flying through the air towards the bar Buggy was inhabiting. Luffy kneeled down by the lion. "I really shouldn't be doing this, since you're his pet, but I'm not a murderer." With sheer force of will, Luffy repeated the process that clotted Zoro's wound. When it was over, Luffy stood up. "there. You'll be fine, as long as you don't get into any more fights."

"what the hell are you! you defeated buggy the clown's first mate like it was nothing!" Nami screamed. Luffy tipped his hat to her.

"hello, Nami. I see you decided to join me again after running away." he grinned. "don't you have any trust in your captain?"

"you're not my captain! And don't change the subject!" Nami whacked him on the head with her staff. "what did you do! You did something to make that easier!"

"I did nothing. It was all the skill of the man who will become king of the pirates!" Luffy grinned at her. Nami palmed her face.

"I'm not going to get anything out of you, am I?"

"nope!" Nami hung her head.

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"captain, what is that!" a random member of Buggy's crew screamed as an unidentified speck flew towards the bar. With an unholy crash, Mohji the lion tamer landed at Buggy's feet, creating a crater where he hit.

"Mohji! Who did this! Was it pirate hunter Zoro!" Buggy yelled, hauling Mohji up.

"captain… the kid…"

"what! The kid beat you! impossible!" Buggy screamed.

"powers… just like captain's…" and Mohji slumped forwards, unconscious. Buggy twitched.

"the kid's got powers like the captain! No way!" one of the crew said, awestruck. Buggy growled.

"I'll not have my power here upset by some upstart devil fruit user! LOAD THE SPECIAL BUGGY BALLS! We've got a town to destroy!"

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"so… err…" Nami started. "Luffy…"

"yeah?" Luffy turned to her. "what is it, Nami?"

"why are you a pirate? I mean, you don't really… feel like a pirate. You don't look like the kind of person that would go around pillaging villages and terrorizing the people…" Nami trailed off. Luffy stood for a moment before grabbing her. "what! What are you doing!"

Luffy grabbed her sleeve and tugged upwards, exposing her tattoo to the world. "I should have known. So the reason you hate pirates is because of Arlong?" Nami jerked out of his grip.

"no! it's, just…"

"you have to save up one hundred million beli to buy back kokoyashi village from Arlong. Otherwise he will continue to terrorize your people. You joined as his navigator and cartographer to help save your village, and you are ostracized by your people because they think you are a dirty traitor." Nami pulled her hand up to her mouth, eyes wide at the fact that this man, this _pirate _knew so much about her life. "I am nothing like Arlong. I fight for the people and against the corruption in the world government."

"how do you know all of this!" Luffy was silent.

"mayor boodle." The mayor snapped up, the commanding presence in front of him demanding nothing less. "Buggy The Clown is about to start attacking the town because of the defeat of Mohji. I want you to not rush off blindly into a fight with Buggy The Clown. He is a dangerous man who can kill you with a flick of his hand. Only Zoro and I could possibly hope to defeat him."

"but!"

"no buts. This town needs a live mayor when this is all done." Here Luffy grinned. "and we all know I'm going to clobber Buggy six ways to Sunday!" Nami stared, a small glimmer of hope starting to shine in her heart. "Buggy The Clown will know fear by the time I'm done with him."

BOOM! An explosion destroyed the row of houses right next to them. A groan floated out from the debris. "that's one hell of an alarm clock." Zoro looked up. "damn. What happened when I was asleep?"

"I declared war on Buggy." Zoro shook his head.

"you're an odd one, captain." Zoro stood up, drawing his swords. "we can't let this go unanswered, can we?"

"no, we can't!" Luffy cracked his knuckles. "c'mon, Nami! Our new navigator needs to see what we can do!" Nami did not protest his declaration of her position. "LET'S GO!"

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"load the cannons again! Fire!" Buggy swept his hand. Another boom of cannon fire echoed out, and another row of houses toppled. "load the cannons! FI-"

"Buggy The Clown! Get your ass down here!" Buggy looked down. He grinned a psychopathic grin.

"well, well, well! If it isn't our little runaways! You've caused ma a great deal of pain! I wonder how well you'll do with a Buggy ball in your face!" Luffy grinned.

"try it! Hit me with your best shot!" he thumped his chest. "you couldn't hit that big red eyesore you call a nose!" Buggy screamed.

"FIRE! FIRE! BLOW HIM TO SMITHEREENS!" the cannon twitched down. Luffy turned to the assembly behind him.

"and the fun begins. Watch carefully." The cannon fired. "Gomu Gomu BALLOON!" Luffy blew up like a balloon and caught the cannon ball straight in his stomach. Zoro exhaled.

"god, Luffy. don't do that."

"he took a direct hit from the Buggy ball!" Buggy yelled. "AND HE BOUNCED IT BACK! ARRRRGGHH!" the bar exploded in a fiery ball. Luffy grinned and adjusted his hat.

"there goes the home field advantage."

"made me worry for nothing…" Zoro muttered. "stupid rubber man…"

"rubber man! That's the powers Mohji was talking about!" Buggy glared. Luffy turned to Zoro, completely ignoring the clown pirate.

"Zoro. The next guy they're gonna send out is Cabaji the acrobat. He's a swordsman. He's fond of aiming for injuries and using circus tricks to fight. You'll need to catch him off guard and take him out. Try aiming for the unicycle." Zoro nodded.

"I'm not going to ask how you know that. you are one mysterious man, captain." Zoro charged at the rapidly wheeling circus man. "c'mon! my blade thirsts for your blood!"

"Roronoa Zoro. As one swordsman to another, it will be an honor to cut you down. The breath of death!" Cabaji spat fire in Zoro's face. Zoro bent backwards at the waist and swiped at the tire of the unicycle. Cabaji toppled forward as the air flowed out.

"let's see you do your fancy circus tricks with no air in there." Zoro crouched down. "oni GIRI!" Zoro slashed forward, slashing Cabaji mercilessly. Cabaji fell forward, unconscious. "thanks, captain." Zoro hobbled over to Luffy. "I think I reopened the wound. It's hurting bad."

"you rest, Zoro. I'll take care of Buggy." Luffy stepped forward. Buggy The Clown was twitching in anger.

"you bastards… the crew of the greatest pirate ever, laid low by common thieves… I'm going to kill you nice and slow…"

"not thieves, Buggy… pirates. Hand over the map of the grand line and nobody will get hurt." Luffy ordered. Buggy twitched while the rest of the crew started foaming at the mouth.

"you are no mere pirate, if you can control 'spirit'. Who are you?"

"I am… Monkey D. Luffy, the next king of the pirates." Buggy twitched as he stepped out of the rubble of the tavern.

"I would have laughed at your ambitions if you had not used the 'spirit'. I have to take you out before you steal my rightful position."

"bring it, Buggy. I'll clobber you." Luffy then had a thought that would have Buggy riled. "oh, and by the way… isn't Shanks closer to one piece than you?"

"DIE A FLASHY DEATH!" Buggy screamed as he launched his legs, complete with toe-blades, at Luffy. "chop chop buzz saw!" the buzz saw cut cleanly through Luffy. the two halves of Luffy fell limp. Nami gaped, horrified. Buggy cackled. "that's what you get! You were all talk!"

"c'mon, captain. Stop joking around. You've freaked us all out, now stop screwing around and start fighting." Zoro turned to the horrified Nami. "it's okay. He did the same thing when he rescued me from the marines. Freaked the entire base out."

"MY LEGS! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!" the upper torso of Luffy screamed. It walked over to Nami and hugged her legs, who was at this point, ready to pass out from fear. "I'm only half the man I was before I met you." the torso melted, and reformed on his legs. "oops! Never mind! I take that back!" Buggy gaped.

"you have the chop chop fruit! But I thought you were a rubber man!" Luffy grinned.

"never judge a book by the cover. If I was just a rubber man, then that attack of yours would have sliced me in two. Luckily for me, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve." Luffy ran forward and cocked his fist for Buggy's face. "Gomu Gomu PISTOL!"

"chop chop quick escape!" Buggy's head launched off of him. Luffy grinned and turned his fist. The small flask of water in his hand emptied his contents. "you missed, rubber boy!"

"ah, but what if I wasn't aiming of you?" Luffy disappeared in a splash of water. Buggy whirled around.

"where are you, you little freak!"

"down here, rubber nose!" Buggy looked down. Luffy's face grinned out of the puddle. "now THIS looks familiar!" Luffy shot out of the puddle and sent Buggy flying into one of the houses. Luffy grabbed his hat. "come on, Buggy! I want a real fight!"

"you bastard! Chop chop harpoon!" a hand with three daggers clenched in it shot out from the rubble. Luffy merely deflected the knives with his sword. "you are an upstart who won't last a minute on the grand line! I'll prove to you your feebleness! CHOP CHOP FESTIVAL!" and Buggy exploded in a flurry of flying limbs. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! How can you hurt me if you can't hit me! you shall die today by my hand!"

"I highly doubt that." Luffy grabbed the feet of Buggy. "there's always a weakness for devil fruits. You just have to look for them." And Luffy stabbed him in the foot.

"YAAAAGGGHH!" Buggy screamed. "YOU BASTARD! COME TOGETHER!" and Buggy reformed… about five feet shorter. Nami grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"sorry, Luffy! but I had to help out somehow! I can't have you two stealing all the fun!" Luffy grinned a shit eating grin.

"thanks, Nami! I needed that!" he turned to Buggy, the grin never leaving his face. "I look forward to round two, Buggy! Gomu Gomu…"

"WAIT!" Buggy screamed.

"BAZOOKA!" Luffy slammed his hands into Buggy, and little Buggy disappeared among the stars. Luffy turned to Nami. "so, does this mean you'll join us?"

"yeah! Hanging out with you guys will get me a fortune!" Nami hugged a giant bag to herself. "I salvaged this from the tavern. Buggy sure had an eye for treasure! This is easily worth ten million beri!" Luffy grinned as he reached into the pocket of the tied up Buggy parts.

"and now we've got the map of the grand line! Our course is set!"

"sniff… you dern whippersnappers…" Luffy turned to the crying mayor, a curious look on his face. "you beat Buggy by yourself… you fought this old man's battle for him… I didn't get to do a thing…"

"there is no shame in asking for help when an enemy is out of your league. Only another devil fruit user can effectively fight a devil fruit user. All you would have done would be getting yourself killed." He turned to Nami. I've got to take a leak. You keep him company." And Luffy ran around one of the houses. With a quick tug, the Kronos Hourglass was out in the open. "let's go, roger."

"aye aye!" Luffy flipped the hourglass over, and they disappeared back in time.

Luffy landed standing up. "hmmm…" he mused as he peered at the stack of treasure in front of him. "what to do…" Luffy grabbed a giant ruby as big as his head. "this outta do." Luffy twisted the hourglass, and they reappeared a split second after they left. He ran around the corner.

"Nami! Nami! Look what I found! A giant ruby!" Nami turned to Luffy, took one look at the precious gem in his hand, and fainted dead on the spot. "hahahahaha! That's funny!" he turned to the mayor. "here, mayor boodle. This should pay for any damages we caused." The mayor took it in his hands, and fainted also. "wow. Is it really worth that much?"

"you're an idiot, Luffy. that thing you just gave away is probably worth the same as that bag Nami's carrying. That's easily ten million beli." Luffy looked up, genuinely surprised.

"wow. I didn't know it was worth that much."

"hey! where's Buggy The Clown!" Luffy turned around, only to reel back when a pitchfork was shoved in his face. "you! where's Buggy?"

"he's long gone. I clobbered him." the townsfolk murmured amongst themselves.

"then why is the mayor out cold! Did you do that!" Luffy chuckled.

"yeah. He passed out after I gave him some treasure I found."

"you hurt the mayor! Are you pirates!" Luffy shook his head ruefully. 'some things never change.'

"yeah. We're pirates."

"GETTEM!" the townsfolk screamed a bloody scream. Luffy leaped over the assembly and grabbed Nami, the treasure bag still in her hand.

"c'mon, Zoro! We've overstayed our welcome here!" Zoro laughed as he ran with Luffy. "here, take the treasure!"

"you are one crazy captain! Hahahaha!" the two ran down to the pier, where they quickly untied the ropes and set out. The townsfolk gathered at the dock, shouting obscenities at them. Zoro turned to Luffy. "so, now what?"

"well, we can't keep going like this." Luffy gestured at the Buggy boat. "if we keep getting crew members like this, then we're going to need a real ship."

"so, our next stop's for a ship?" Luffy grinned.

"and every ship needs a gunner! Our next crewmember is going to be a gunner!"

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And, bam! Chicken's done!

Wow, I am just pumping these things out! It's like they're materializing out of stargate or something! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Remember, at least five reviews gets a new chapter! (although, even if you get the required amount, it's not done yet. So, it will take a while longer than the others!) This is The Animaniac Dude, signing off!

Review. You know you want to.


	5. The Deal Is Struck

Alright! This be chapter five of The Will Of D! enjoy!

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Disclaimer: (auctioneer) and we've got twenty five, do I hear a twenty five, twenty five! Thirty, do I see a thirty, let's see a thirty, thirty! Thirty, going once, thirty going twice, and one piece is SOLD to eichiro oda! (me) damn…

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"Luffy… I think I might actually take you up on your offer of sushi you made earlier." Zoro grumbled, his stomach grumbling loudly. Nami started in on him.

"sushi! Where are we going to get sushi in the middle of the ocean! I hope you actually didn't bring any along, because then it would completely rotten! Honestly, how can you guys have lasted this long without food or water?" a splash diverted her attention from Zoro. She gaped as Luffy held a wriggling fish in his hand.

"alright! Sushi it is! I'm not as good as the cook I watched doing this, but I know a bit about making it!" Luffy grabbed his sword and began chopping the rather large fish into chunks. "I made some fresh water while Nami was talking. It's in the bucket." Nami whirled around, and indeed, there was fresh spring water in the bucket they had.

"how did you do that?" Zoro snorted.

"don't ask. You won't get anything out of him. I've tried." Nami huffed as Luffy stuck his head into the water. A large fish swam up.

"hey! can you bring up some fresh seaweed? I'm making some sushi!" the fish, not understanding what sushi was, nodded and swam down to the depths. Luffy disappeared into the cabin and returned a moment later, a small bag trailing form his hand. He grabbed some rice from inside and waited for the fish to return. Zoro eyed the bag oddly.

"how long have you had that?"

"I got it from the house that Nami and I stole to make deals about stealing from Buggy. It was still good, so I thought I'd bring it along." In reality, he had traveled back in time and grabbed fresh rice from a farmer's field. Zoro shook his head ruefully.

"and all this time, I never noticed…" the fish returned with the seaweed, and Luffy took it from him. the fish bowed and returned to the depths. With deft movements, Luffy wrapped the seaweed around the rice and fish.

"there you go! It's not fancy, but it's food." He handed a platter of the sushi to each of his crewmembers. Nami took a bite and grinned.

"not bad! It doesn't even have anything else in it!" Zoro merely grunted. Luffy scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"hehehe… I can't really cook too many dishes, but I'm really good at what I can cook." Any thoughts of food were banished from his head when an island loomed in the distance. Luffy grinned. "and there's an island! Maybe I can get some good meat on there!" a sudden wave shot towards the boat, and all three crewmembers enjoyed a smooth ride towards the island on the crest of the wave. Luffy shot out of the boats and landed on his feet, a scream on his lips. "ALRIGHT! This island smells like adventure!"

"do not come any further!" a voice echoed out from the forest. Luffy grinned.

"who are you? who said that?" Nami cried out to the forest as Zoro fingered his three swords uneasily.

"I am… the guardian of the forest!" Luffy smiled.

"so, you mean you're a little old hermit on this island who's guarding some fantastical treasure on this island from outside invaders?" a rabbit-snake slithered by. Luffy grinned. "well, that answers my question. You're probably just a little old dude with a gun and a unibrow. You can't stand up to us pirates."

"what did you say, you straw-hatted fool!" Gaimon roared. "you shall now face the trial of the forest!" the crack of a gun being fired resounded through the air as Luffy buckled forward. The bullet went into his back… and out the other side, the wound already healed over, a drop of water rolling down his back. "WHAT! Wha… what are you!"

"I'm a rubber man. And you're a shrubber man." Luffy quipped, peering through the bushes at the 'shrub' in the treasure chest. "c'mon, Gaimon. We both know that's you in the chest. come out where we can see you. I don't hold grudges." The box twitched. Zoro fingered his blades again.

"Luffy, who are you talking too?" Luffy jerked his thumb at the treasure chest.

"Gaimon over here. he won't come out."

"yes I will!" the chest sprouted legs and walked over. "how do you know my name, straw hat?"

"never mind how I know. it doesn't matter how I know. what does matter is that we start talking. You look like an interesting person."

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"a devil fruit? I've heard the tales, but this is the first time I've ever seen somebody who actually had the powers. You're an odd one, Luffy." Gaimon said as he stood on the rocks. Luffy grinned.

"you're one to talk! I'm not the one who's living in a treasure chest!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Gaimon rushed at Luffy, only to be easily held back by Zoro. "I'm stuck and I can't get out! I've been living alone on this island for twenty years! You can't imagine how miserable I've been!" Nami gaped.

"twenty years! You've been all alone?"

"that's right. Twenty years…" Luffy remained silent. "it's been a long twenty years… that's why my hair and beard are this long. And I used to have TWO eyebrows! I haven't had a conversation with another human being the entire time!" he turned to Luffy. "you said you were a pirate?"

"yeah. It's a work in progress, though. I only have a crew of three so far."

"I used to be a pirate, too! It was great! Risking my life in the pursuit of treasure! You got a treasure map?" Luffy pulled the map of the grand line out of an inside pocket of his coat.

"I've got the greatest treasure map of all! I've got a map of the grand line!" he grinned. "I'm going after one piece!" Gaimon blanched visibly.

"what! The one piece! You're not seriously thinking about entering the grand line, are you!" he cocked his head. "so… where exactly is the grand line?"

"it's perpendicular from the red line, the great earthen strip of rock separating the two oceans." Luffy traced the path with his finger. "see? It's supposed to be the most dangerous sea route. Only gold roger was able to rule it successfully. If you're looking for one piece, you've got to effectively sail around the world." Nami looked at Luffy, surprised and faintly impressed that he knew all that. "if you are able to sail around the grand line, you are effectively on the same level as the king of the pirates."

"don't be dense! It's not as easy as you're making it sound! They also call the grand line the pirate's graveyard!"

"I know. they say that the men that come back from there look like they have been through hell and back. But you know what, Gaimon? They were weak. They couldn't stand the strain. There are many more pirates who find their glory in the grand line than those that are haunted by the memories." Gaimon was silent. Luffy grinned. "and we're the ones who will find one piece! So we have to be better than the best!"

"I have no idea where your confidence come from…" Nami muttered.

"I'll tell you why I haven't left this island!" Gaimon shouted. "hope! I still have hope!"

"is this that fantastical treasure that I joked about before?" Gaimon nodded.

"yes. Five golden treasure chest, up on a hill. I tried to get them before, but I fell into this box, and I couldn't get out. Since that day, twenty years ago, I've guarded my treasure from anybody who would steal it!" he pulled out his gun from his afro. "I've spent twenty years of my life guarding that chest! it's mine! All mine!"

"you're right, Gaimon. It is absolutely yours." Luffy started to walk away. "which is why I'll go get it for you right now." Gaimon beamed.  
"you would really do that for me! thank you!" Luffy gestured forward.

"lead the way, Gaimon."

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"this is the hill?" Luffy looked up, recognizing the hill from his memories. Gaimon nodded.

"yes. The treasure chests are up on top."

"okay!" Luffy shot his arm up to the top of the rock and slingshot up to the top. There in front of him were the five empty chests. He picked one up. "I see them! Five of 'em, right up here!"

"yippee! Throw them down here! but don't drop them on us! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Luffy shook his head, the grin never leaving his face.

"nope!" Gaimon looked up in shock, fear setting into his heart. Nami screamed at Luffy.

"what are you doing, Luffy! throw them down here!"

"forget it! I don't want to!"

"dammit, Luffy!" Gaimon shook a placating hand.

"no… it's okay. He doesn't want to do it." Nami whirled around.

"but how can you say that! it's your treasure!" Gaimon looked up at Luffy, tears in his eyes.

"straw hat! You… you're a good kid!" Nami stared as the grown man started to sniffle. "I… I've always had my worries… I've had my fears… but, I just didn't want to believe it." He stared at Luffy unblinking eyes. "they're empty, aren't they?"

"yep… all five of them." Luffy threw them all down, then jumped after them.

"it happens all the time… with treasure maps… you get your hands on a treasure map, but somebody's already taken the loot…" Luffy was silent, before he laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Cheer up, Gaimon! You're lucky we showed up! If we had passed this island by, you would've spent another thirty years guarding these empty chests! And then you'd be dead!" Gaimon smiled a small, watery smile. "and there's only one thing to make up for a disappointment like that… come with us to the grand line! You're going after one piece with us."

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"you sure you want to stay on this island? Captain really wants you to come along…" Zoro said as he loaded all the fruit Gaimon had given them into the boats.

"it was nice of you to offer, but this is my home now! There's still no treasure, but I can still be the guardian of the forest!" Luffy nodded.

"all the exotic animals here probably bring more pirates than the treasure ever did." Gaimon nodded.

"I don't want to abandon them! They are my friends now!" Luffy nodded, then waved for Zoro and Nami to get on the boats. He knelt down in front of Gaimon.

"Gaimon. Once I get a big ship, I will send some of my subordinates to ferry you and your animals to us. You are my friend now, and no matter what you say, you want to come with us to find one piece. The only thing that is holding you back are the exotic animals here." Gaimon looked up, startled.

"subordinates? I thought it was only you three…" Luffy grinned.

"you're not the only one here who deals with exotic animals. I am the only person who can control the sea kings." Gaimon gaped, eyes bugging out of their sockets. Luffy put a finger up to his lips. "shhh! They don't know about it yet! I'll send a flat-bellied turtle sea king to carry you into the grand line. After all…" he grinned. "the Straw Hat Armada needs some pets." Gaimon smiled.

"I might just take you up on that. if you can bring the animals along, I'll join your pirate crew." Luffy held out his hand in front of Gaimon's face, and the diminutive man shook it.

"it will be good to have you aboard, animal tamer Gaimon!" Luffy leaped back into the boat with a single bound. "bye, Gaimon! See you soon!" and with a stretchy-enhanced kick, the boat was out at sea. Zoro turned to him.

"what were you talking with him about?" Luffy brushed it off, his straw hat tilted over his face.

"eh. Just a business proposition."

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Luffy lay stretched out on the boat, bored after two hours of nothing after leaving Gaimon. A thought struck him. he entertained it for a while, before deciding. Dipping his hand into the water, Luffy stuck his tongue out comically as he worked. Nami looked over at him. "Luffy, what are you doing?"

"I'm reading the currents right now. Don't talk to me." Nami huffed and waited a few minutes. Luffy stood up. "okay. Nami, I want you to head to this island right here." Luffy pointed out a small island, with an even smaller village on top of it. "we should be right about… here." Luffy jabbed at a part of the map, many miles away from the island. "I'll meet up with you at the island."

"meet up? Are you taking a boat somewhere?" Luffy climbed up to the edge of the boat. "Luffy… what are you doing?"

"I'm going for a swim. You're in charge while I'm gone, Zoro. I'll meet up with you guys later!" and with that, Luffy jumped into the water and was gone. Nami rushed over to where he had broken the surface.

"Zoro!" Nami rushed over to the first mate. "we've got to go in after him! devil fruit users can't swim!"

"Luffy's broken all the rules before. Why not that, too? Besides, he's not the type who would commit suicide and leave friends stranded." Zoro yawned, acting extremely blasé about his captain's apparent death.

"but…"

"if Luffy said that he will meet up with us at this mystery island, then he will meet up with us at this mystery island. Now, can you steer these things?"

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As soon as Luffy hit the water, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had no precious nakama to pretend in front of. "he could finally be himself again. "alright, roger. I think it's time we reestablish law and order in the undersea kingdom!" a watery shape formed, and a water clone of gold roger appeared.

"yes, I agree." The water clone spoke. "the words of shredder were highly disturbing to me. if our calculations are correct, then we should be about five miles from the major undersea city Oceana. We should head there first. I left some of my possessions there."

"alright!" Luffy and gold roger shot off like a bullet, towards the undersea city of Oceana. After a few minutes of swimming, gold roger spoke.

"that was a good thing you did, with Gaimon. Especially when you consider where I think those animals came from." Luffy looked over. "the Atlanteans dabbled greatly in genetic engineering. They were trying many different combinations of animals to get the perfect house pet. The animals that were rejected, generally for being to vicious or for being too potentially dangerous, were sent off to a deserted island to supposedly kill each other off. Those were most likely the descendants of the animals that survived."

"genetic engineering?"

"crossing two completely different animals together to try and get something better. It would be like trying to cross a horse and a bird to get a flying horse."

"I see. That's inhumane." Luffy said with dead eyes as he thought of all the animals forced to go through something like that.

"the Atlanteans did everything in the name of science. They didn't care who or what they hurt if it was for the betterment of mankind." The two were silent for the rest of the journey.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy strolled through the watery town, attracting gawks and stares from the populace, and in some cases, shrieks from mothers who covered their children's eyes. A giant goldfish mermaid with a trident stepped forward, blocking his path.

"sir. I am going to have to ask you to leave. Humans are not welcome here." Luffy snorted.

"step aside, guard. I will not cause any trouble. I merely wish to pick up some of my property." The goldfish prodded him with the trident.

"that was not a request, sir. I will have to escort you from the city." The merman grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him from the city. Once out of sight from the civilians, the goldfish let him go. "I am sorry for the way I treated you, human, but I may have just saved your life."

"oh?" Luffy was interested now. The merman looked around fearfully, before bending his head down to his ear.

"the town of Oceana is run by a vicious merman gang, with a bull shark merman named Leucas leading. They hate humans with a passion. The government in this town is a farce. The law enforcement have little to no power. If you had stepped in that town any further, you would have been killed." Luffy nodded.

"I see. And yet, I cannot turn away. I must reclaim my property." The merman sighed.

"who are you, that you would risk death by mermen to regain property?" Luffy considered telling him, before spreading his arms wide.

"I have many names and I have no name, for they drift away with the currents." The pop-eyed look on his face only bugged out more.

"th-the ancient motto of the undersea monarchy! The saying of the king who disappeared a thousand years ago! You!" Luffy lifted up his hand, and a whirlpool hovered over his palm. The merman guard dropped to one knee. "my liege! You are real! You have returned to us!"

"you did not believe I was real. Why?" the guard stayed kneeling. "you may rise." The merman rose, not meeting him in the eye. "you may act freely. Act as if I was one of your dearest friends."

"my liege, forgive me. the people believe that the disappearing king returning to us is a myth, a fairy tale told to children at night to make them go so sleep. Few people still believe that you are an actual person." Luffy sighed.

"I was afraid of that. and yet, I should have expected that. my disappearance was a little fantastic." He walked towards the city. "I need to see my people. If they are living under tyranny, then I need to free them. It is my responsibility." The goldfish merman ran up to his side, gripping his trident.

"you are not going into that barracuda's nest alone, my liege. You shall have my trident at your side." Luffy smiled.

"thank you. what is your name?"

"I am Hakari, my liege."

"very well, Hakari. I am grateful for your loyalty to me. when the town is free, you shall be rewarded greatly."

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The stares and shrieks were still there when Luffy came back, but he understood now. They were afraid that they would see a murder in front of their very eyes. An intimidating merman stepped in front of him, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"what's a two-bit human doing in our city? You gonna start a fight?" he leered as two flunkies stepped up beside him. "maybe we should take you to the boss… see some fun while we're there…"

"on the contrary. I shall be the one going to your boss. YOU will lead me, willingly or not." Luffy spoke, before disappearing in front of their very eyes. They whirled about, looking for the human that threatened them, only to slump unconscious as Luffy cracked them on the back of the head. He grabbed the apparent leader by the scruff of the collar. "where is Leucas?"

"h-h-he's up on that big mansion! You can't miss it! Don't kill me!" Luffy cracked him on the back of the head with his fist, and the merman slumped down. Luffy shot off like a bullet towards the big house.

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"ah, my boys are back? Tell me, did you take care of the cracker human that we saw?" Leucas leaned back in a coral chair, smoking an impossibly smoldering roll of seaweed. Luffy smashed the door in. Leucas jumped up in alarm. "what the hell!"

"you have terrorized these people long enough." Luffy grabbed Leucas by the scruff of the neck. "did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy tormenting my people under your reign while I was gone?"

"who the hell are you! guards! Get him!" Leucas screamed.

"they won't hear you. I've already knocked them all out." Luffy looked down at the merman's fist, ad his eyes narrowed. "where did you get that ring?"

What? This thing! The last mayor had it! He said some tripe about the sea king owning it! Here, take it!" he grabbed the ring and yanked it off his hand. He threw it to the ground. "there! You happy! You get the ring! Don't hurt me!"

"you desecrated the honor of that signet ring. You desecrated the honor of my property. You desecrated the honor of the property of the king of the sea." Leucas' eyes bugged out.

"you!" Luffy smashed his face in. the water around them ran red.

Hakari ran into the room. "my liege! What happened!" Luffy tossed the bloodied almost-corpse of the merman mob boss Leucas at him. Hakari caught it with some trepidation.

"he is finished. I have broken every bone in his body. When he heals he will be nothing more than an evil cripple." Luffy strode past him. "you had best get out now. I am going to destroy this monstrosity."

"yes, my liege!" Hakari ran after him. all at once, the body of Leucas drew gasps and stares. Hakari merely pointed at Luffy. "I am not the one who did this. You should be thanking him." Luffy climbed up on top of a hill. Breathing in, Luffy shot a bubble of air at the house. As soon as the entire house was encompassed by the bubble, the pressure of the sea multiplied tenfold, and the building that had been Leucas' base of operation for over twenty years collapsed in on itself. The crowd stared, before breaking in raucous joy. An elderly starfish waddled forward.

"I am the mayor of Oceana. You have freed us from the tyranny of Leucas. If there is anything that we can do for you, speak, and it shall be yours." Luffy smiled and shook his head.

"I could not possibly take anything from you, fair people of Oceana. I am just a wanderer, hoping to restore the ocean to the glory it once had under the king of the sea." The starfish mayor looked up.

"who are you, stranger? You, who saves our town from the brink of ruin, and asks for no reward? What is your name?" Luffy smiled and held out his signet ring, which had belonged to him, a thousand years past. The mayor looked at his face, alarmed. "you…"

"I have many names and I have no name, for they drift away with the currents." The crowd gasped. Luffy looked at them all and smiled. "have faith, my people. The golden age of the sea will return once more!" and Luffy vanished, a stream of bubbles left in his place.

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Luffy shot out of the water in a spray of droplets before landing on the waves. He peered around. "now, where could those two be… they couldn't have gotten lost with Nami leading…"

"Luffy!" Luffy looked over his shoulder, and there was Nami, waving frantically. "get over here THIS INSTANT!"

"yes, ma'am!" Luffy saluted and jumped over the waves and into the boat. Nami immediately sent him smashing into the timbers. "OWW! The hell, Nami? What was that for!"

"for making me worry, dumbass! You jumped into the water! How are you still alive!" Nami grabbed Luffy and shook him like a ragdoll. "why, you dumbass, WHY!" she threw him to the timbers again.

"you were worried about me?" Luffy said, astonished. He stood up immediately, ignoring the beating he had just taken from the navigator.

"of course I was worried! You… I… I can't have the one pirate that I approve of committing suicide!" Nami looked like she wanted to say something else, but bit it back just in time. Luffy grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry, Nami, about making you worry." She merely beat his chest with her fist, with no real strength in the blows. Zoro snorted.

"could you two stop flirting? It's interrupting my nap." Nami whirled around, staff already assembled and in her hand.

"WHAT!" she screamed as she whacked Zoro over the head repeatedly. "We-" WHACK! "are not-" WHACK! "flirting!" WHACK! "GOT IT!" WHACK! Luffy laughed hysterically. He fell over on the side of the boat, laughing. He stood up immediately.

"LAND HO!" Luffy cried, a speck of an island on the distance. Nami ceased her beating of Zoro to run over to the side of the boat, map in hand.

"let's see…" she traced the map with her finger. "yep, that's our island, alright. So…" she turned to the captain. "what's so special about this island, anyway?" Luffy shrugged.

"I've got a hunch." Zoro looked at him skeptically.

"mm-hm. Right. You know something we don't about this island. Again. You are hiding something from us. Again." Luffy smiled apologetically.

"believe what you want!" Luffy adjusted the sails to get maximum power out of them. "right now, all I care about is getting to that island and finding us a new ship." With a subtle twist of his hand, a large wave rolled out of the sea, and carried them to the land. Luffy jumped out the boat and onto the sand. "ADVENTURE!"

"solid ground at last!" Zoro yawned and stepped out of the boat. He then looked up at the cliff. "so, what do you think is up with those guys?"

"they probably think we're Buggy's pirates. They were staring at the sails before." Pepper, Carrot and Onion took one look at the three and ran for the hills. Luffy snickered. "I think the lackeys just deserted the leader." The man, after much deliberation, stood tall on the hill.

"I am the notorious captain Usopp! Feared pirate, and ruler of this village!" he walked down the hill. "so you better think twice about invading! I have eighty million men poised to strike!" Luffy grinned. It was time to mess with his head.

"what a coincidence! So do I! they're hiding under the water!" Nami and Zoro looked at him, before catching onto his ruse. Usopp's eyes bugged out. "you are lying through your teeth! I am being dead serious!" Usopp ran to the sea, where there was no pirates lying in wait under the water. With a loud laugh, Luffy shoved Usopp into the water. "HAHAHAHAHA! That was classic!"

"HEY! are you laughing at me! I'm a proud man! That's why they call me 'proud captain Usopp!"

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"crewmen and a bigger ship?" Usopp asked as Luffy tore a huge chunk of meat from the bone.

"yeah. We're gaining crewmembers at a rapid rate, so we'll need a bigger ship sooner or later."

"wow! What a great adventure!" Usopp exclaimed. "you won't find any galleons anywhere in this town… but here is a place you can go."

"the mansion on the top of the hill?" Luffy asked. Usopp turned and looked at him oddly. "what? It's always the mansion on the top of the hill!"

"well, you ARE right. You should head to the mansion that stands out like a sore thumb. The owner of the mansion is a young girl, and she's bedridden. About a year ago, both the poor girl's parents got sick and died. They left her with a huge inheritance, a mansion, and a dozen servants. She's rich and lives in luxury, but nobody is more unfortunate than her." Nami thought for a moment.

"well, Luffy did say he had a hunch about this place, and most of his hunches so far have turned out well, so… I guess we could look for a ship here." Usopp grinned.

"by the way… you said that you were looking for crewmates…" he thumbed his chest. "I'll be your captain."

"nope." The three responded in unison.

"don't you want to think it over!"

"Luffy's already our captain. The position's filled." Zoro stated, gulping down his grog. Usopp sighed.

'oh well. I should get going. It's time to go." Usopp stood up from his chair and left the bar. Luffy smiled.

"he's our next crewmember. I can feel it." Nami looked at him.

"why do you say that?"

"because he's exactly how Yasopp described him to me."

"Yasopp?"

"the sniper aboard Red haired Shanks' crew." Zoro jerked back.

"you know Red haired Shanks!" Luffy grinned.

"of course! He was my childhood idol! He's the one who got me into the pirate business!" Luffy grabbed his hat. "this hat was given to me, with the promise that I would give it back once I had become king of the pirates." Nami whistled.

"that's a pretty precious hat you have there." Luffy smiled.

"aye. That it is. This is my most treasured possession. I wouldn't let this out of my sight for the world." Luffy looked out from the table and saw Usopp's 'pirates'. "the peanut gallery's here."

"where's the captain?" one of the three questioned.

"could they have finished him already?" Luffy smiled. Childhood innocence was so sweet. He now understood why Shanks loved to pick on him as a child. Because it was so damnably funny!

"yep! We ate him!" the three midget pirates gasped and pointed at Nami.

"OGRESS!" Nami whacked them on the head with her staff.

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME!" Luffy guffawed.

"I'm sorry, but it was too funny to pass up! He said that it was time to go." The three children grumbled, before Carrot spoke.

"then he probably went to the mansion." Luffy nodded.

"to tell lies that cheer the mistress up, right?" Carrot, Pepper and Onion stared with adoration.

"WHOA! Are you psychic!" Luffy pressed two fingers to his temples.

"yesssss… I see the future… I see…" the children leaned in. "I see…" they leaned in even further. Luffy took the fingers away from his temples and grinned a shit-eating grin. "that it's time to go. C'mon!" grabbing Nami and Zoro by the collars, he rushed out of the bar. Once they were out of sight, Luffy dropped the two on the ground and rolled around laughing. "BWAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man! Did you see their faces! Classic!" Nami whacked him on the head with her staff.

"idiot! What was that for?" Luffy stood up, not laughing anymore.

"I have a hunch, and I'd rather not involve the children in it." Zoro looked up from brushing himself off.

"another hunch?"

"yeah. We go to the mansion. The girl's going to provide us with a ship."

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"ever hear of knocking?" Zoro quipped as Luffy climbed over the iron door.

"nah. This way is much more fun." Luffy dropped down to the side and unlocked the fence. Making a 'quiet' motion, Luffy crept up to the window where Usopp sat with Kaya. With a bestial scream, Luffy pounced on Usopp. Usopp screamed like a girl as Luffy descended. The rubber man immediately got up and bowed to the bedridden girl. "good day, madam. I hope my newest crewmember hasn't been causing you any trouble." Kaya giggled girlishly as Usopp slowly slinked forward.

"you're friends of Usopp?" Luffy nodded before the long-nosed liar could get in an edgewise word.

"yeah. He just joined our pirate crew. But, we're not that much of a pirate crew yet, since we don't even have a ship for us, yet." Luffy snapped his fingers. "that's it! Miss, can I ask you a favor?"

"a favor? Of me?"

"yeah! We want a ship for us to ride in! a big, sturdy ship!"

"what is the meaning of this!" a voice called out. The crew of three plus Usopp turned to see Klahadore the butler walk up behind them. "you realize you're trespassing!" Luffy grinned.

"yep! We came to help Usopp cheer miss Kaya up!" Klahadore turned and saw the infamous liar himself.

"you… your reputation precedes you… you're the talk of thee village…" Usopp filled himself up with false bravado.

"uh… thanks! But please, call me 'captain Usopp'! but really, there's no need for flattery!" Kuro pushed his glasses up the side of his nose.

"the guards… they've reported you lurking about the estate. Do you have any business being here?" Luffy stepped in.

"he came here to help cheer miss Kaya up. He's been doing it for a year now. Do you think miss Kaya would be so attached to him if he hadn't been doing this for a long time?" Klahadore glared.

"stay out of this, straw hat." He turned to Usopp. "I've hear tell that you've got a gift for deceit. I've also heard storied of your father." He pushed his glasses back up, managing to look intimidating while doing that. "you're a son of a filthy pirate. I wouldn't put anything past you. **stay away from mistress Kaya.**" Usopp gritted his teeth. "you and miss Kaya are from completely different worlds. Is it money you're after? How much do you want?" Kaya felt a pall drift over her.

"you've gone too far, Klahadore! You owe Usopp an apology!" Luffy stepped forward again.

"save your breath, Kaya. Klahadore is on a tangent and he won't stop. But Klahadore…" he turned around, a glare in his eye. "Yasopp the pirate is an honorable pirate." Usopp jerked when he said his father's name. "he sails with Red haired Shanks as his captain. Do you really think that Yasopp, a man who is a crewmate to one of the few honorable pirates left in the world, would raise his child to be a money-hungry murderer?" he glared. "red haired Shanks was my idol in my youth. He used my hometown as a base of operations for many years. I talked with Yasopp many times. He always told me that his son would be the next great sharpshooter of this era of piracy. He told me that his son was a bit of a liar while he was still around, but he didn't have a wicked bone in his body. Tell me… who do you believe? Your own convictions? Or fact brought to you second hand?" Klahadore pushed his glasses up.

"that was a very good speech you gave there. However, it does not change my decision." He pointed to the gates. "get out." Luffy jerked his head towards the outside of the grounds.

"c'mon. let's go." The group of four left the grounds in a smoldering rage. Only one of them was faked.

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Luffy stopped suddenly. "hold on. I have to take a piss." He ducked into the forests and unzipped his pants. Once he heard Nami's exasperated sigh, he zipped them back up and melted into the ground. Luffy grimaced. "it's harder to move through the ground."

"it's because it has less moisture for you to work with." Gold roger replied. "so, what are you planning to do about Kuro?" Luffy shrugged.

"well, I stepped in back there to try and soften the hatred that was going to brew there. it'll help just the tiniest bit. I've gone through many scenarios, and the only one that I think cold possibly work is one that plays to his sense of adventure. No matter what you say, a pirate's a pirate, and that never goes away." Luffy trudged through the soil, back to the mansion.

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"You. What are you doing on the estate? I'll have you thrown off." Klahadore said without turning around. Luffy walked up behind him.

"was my act so good that you could not see through it? I'm impressed with myself." Kuro arched an eyebrow at hearing he was acting before. "tell me, Klahadore. Are you a gambling man?"

"no. now why are you on miss Kaya's estate?"

"really. Because I would've thought you'd be fond of a game of chance. Of how no matter how many plans you lay, they could all go astray with that fickle mistress we call luck." Kuro was silent. "You miss it, don't you?" Klahadore turned around to face him, mild curiosity on his face. "You miss the thrill of the hunt, the chance to piss off the marines at any given time." Klahadore stiffened. "No matter how many times you ay that you've become a pacifist; you'll always miss the chance to roam the seas, captain Kuro."

"You know my secret." Klahadore pushed up his glasses. "What do you plan to do with it?"

Luffy walked away a few steps, before stopping. "I have a wager, for you."

"Oh?"

"I know what you are planning for Miss Kaya. Frankly, I can't allow that. She's going to be the one to provide a ship to the grand line." Kuro gestured to Luffy, telling him to get on with it. "The infamous Kuro of the thousand plans would be an excellent addition to the crew that finds One Piece."

Kuro's interest was piqued. "Interesting. You wish for me to join your crew. Go on."

"I realize that you are still in control, more or less, of your old crew. I realize that, I can't have you, because you're already a captain. And then, I thought: what if I could have both?" Luffy turned to Kuro, a twinkle in his eye. "The wager: who can protect or kill Miss Kaya."

"And the stake?" Kuro grinned, the ideas getting his adrenaline pumping.

"The loser swears his pirate crew and himself to the winner." Kuro grinned even wider, the sun glinting off his circular glasses. He pushed them up with oh-so-slightly jittery hands.

"An interesting wager. And yet, I am excited. I feel more excited than I have in years."

"Then you accept?"

"Yes. I accept your bet. The rules?"

"We cannot kill any of our own crew. That is to make sure that if it looks like one of us is losing, we can't kill the crew and ourselves to stop the winner from getting anything."

Kuro nodded. "Understandable. Anything else?"

"Yes. You can do any kind of trap to ensure your victory." Kuro nodded. "And you cannot kill or attempt to kill anybody before the bet begins." Kuro nodded again. "The wager begins tomorrow at dawn. You can't do anything before that."

"Excellent. The battle begins." The two shook hands and the deal was struck.

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BAM! Bet none of you saw THAT coming! Oh yeah!

Five reviews gets the next chapter! I only do this because I know you guys can do it… it's just that, sometimes I feel like you're being lazy. I like critics for my stories, and if you're too lazy to critique my ideas, then how am I going to become a better author? Oh, and by the way… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Review. You know you want to.


	6. And The Armada Is Born

And, chapter six! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: if somebody says that I own One Piece, I'm going to cry…

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"you look oddly happy, captain." Django told the captain as he climbed aboard the ship of the Black Cat pirates. "is there any particular reason you want to go aboard the ship? We've already met, and it's not like you to alter the plan…" Kuro pushed his glasses up his nose and grinned slightly.

"Django… there has been a complication in the plans." Django, startled at the way he said it, flinched back. "one that I wish to announce to the whole crew." Kuro grinned. "Django, this complication has reminded me of who I am. While I was in that house for three years, I thought myself a pacifist. But now, I know who I am." He pushed his glasses up his nose again. "I am a pirate. I enjoy the thrill of pillaging and plundering and being able to aggravate the pitiful marines that follow me. I am the infamous Kuro of the thousand plans, whose sixty-million beri bounty terrorized the east blue. I am not a pitiful butler who plays nanny to an infirm girl just to get her money." He pushed up his glasses. "as of this moment, Kuro of the thousand plans is now once again the captain of the black cat pirates."

"this must be some complication." Django finished mooring themselves to the boat. "Oy! You bloodthirsty scalawags! Give us a lift!" a ladder rolled down from above. Django gestured at the boat. "after you, captain." Kuro swiftly scaled the ladder. At once, thee muttering on the ship ceased. Kuro pushed his glasses up.

"Black Cat pirates!" he bellowed, spreading his arms wide. "you all know of the plan to 'accident' miss Kaya tomorrow. However, I feel that you may have grown soft in my absence!" Butchie and Siam twitched, but said nothing. "so, I have decided to throw in a complication!"

"a man in the village knows my secret." The crew immediately started muttering. "I do not know how he knows it, nor where he learned it from. He is a pirate, named Monkey D. Luffy. he has offered me a wager, and I have accepted."

"a wager, captain?" Django asked the unspoken question in the heads of the crew. Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"yes, a wager. He has put forth the wager that he can stop me from 'accidenting' miss Kaya. The terms say that the loser forswears his crew to the winner." The crew exploded in anger at being gambled. "quiet! The boy is exceptionally powerful. I know this from merely looking at him. if we lose, then we fly under the flag of one of the most powerful pirates I have seen in many years. And if they lose…" he pushed up his glasses. "then we gain him on our crew. Either way, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Or, are you afraid of losing to one man?" the Black Cat pirates roared. "Tomorrow! The bet begins at dawn! Do not lose, my pirate scum!" they roared in bloodlust as they started chanting. Django took him aside.

"do you think that is wise, captain? We know nothing about this Monkey D. Luffy. what if we lose?"

"we cannot lose. Not even if we are unable to fight and they have beaten us all fairly, we cannot lose. It is not possible for us to lose." Django looked into the eyes of his captain, and saw the man he had served under three years ago. Kuro of the thousand plans was back in action. Django grinned.

"aye aye, captain! I'll get these slop-bellied bums into shape!" he whirled around and started bellowing to the crew. "alright, you bloodthirsty dogs! What are we after!"

"TREASURE!"

"what are we after!"

"BLOOD AND TREASURE!" the Black Cat pirates howled to the moon in raucous ecstasy. Kuro grinned a homicidal grin and looked at the gleaming crescent moon.

"and so it begins… Monkey D. Luffy…"

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"don't you think you're putting it on the wrong hill?" Luffy stared at Usopp trying to oil slick the hill. "Do you think that Kuro and his pirates would honestly use the same hill that they had their meeting on?" Usopp stood up suddenly, the oil sloshing back into the bucket.

"Shut up! You're the one who wouldn't let me tell the villagers when we heard their conversation! You won't let me tell them that their lives are in danger!" Luffy grabbed his shirt and yanked him in.

"There are always people's lives in danger, or there's always a pirate invasion looming in the distance, or there's always a corrupt official causing mayhem and destruction for power that threatens everybody in the east blue! And the only way that they can get on with their happy lives is that they** Do…Not… Know about it**! Think for a moment! Why would the villagers believe the town's biggest liar, who says that there are pirates coming every day? Hmm? They would think that he was lying again, and quite possibly run him out on a line, banishing him from the town!" Usopp slapped his hand away.

"you don't get it, do you! I don't care if they hate me! I have to do everything in my power to save them! They can shoot me, they can run me out of town, they can do anything they want to me, but they can't stop me from loving my town to the death!"

"if you love your town so much, then use that love of it and defend it! Don't send it into a blind panic! You are the son of Yasopp the pirate, one of the greatest sharpshooters on the high seas! Use your talents for good!" Usopp growled, but followed after Luffy as he raced through the forest to the second hill. Once there, Usopp angrily slopped the oil onto the hill.

"there! you happy, you slime!" Luffy sighed.

"Usopp, I know you're angry-"

"Damn right I'm angry! You want me to leave my people to die!" Luffy punched Usopp in the face.

"Get a grip! We are NOT leaving the entire village to die! Listen to me, dammit! If you're as good as you say, then prove it! Fight to keep the pirates out of the town! Make your next tall tale a true one! This day will be a peaceful one for the town!" Usopp was silent as he pulled himself from the ground. "Good! Are you listening to reason now?"

"I… I…" Usopp tightened his jaw. "You're right. I am the notorious captain Usopp. I am the man whose name shall ring across the world as a brave warrior of the sea! I am captain Usopp!" Luffy smiled. Usopp turned around. "Thank you, Luffy. I needed that."

"You were becoming hysterical. It was the least I could do." Usopp nodded. Luffy looked over at Nami and Zoro, who were standing off to the side watching the whole spectacle. "And what are you two standing around for! Get to work setting up traps!" they jumped at the commanding tone in his voice and set about setting the traps. Luffy grinned and looked up at the rising crescent moon. "And so it begins… captain Kuro…"

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"Merry? Where are you?" Kaya called out from inside her bed. The butler hustled into the room, a cloth draped over his hand.

"Yes, miss Kaya? What can I do for you?"

"You know those pirates that are in town? The ones that recruited Usopp into their group?" merry nodded. "Their captain asked for a ship. I have thought about it for a while, and I decided that I will give them a ship. Can you get the rest of the servants to work on restoring the Going Merry?" Merry smiled.

"The Going Merry? That hasn't been used since…" he stopped himself from saying 'since your mother and father died.' "That hasn't been used in quite some time. Are you sure about giving it to them?" Kaya nodded.

"If Usopp is going on their ship then I want them to have a good ship, one that they can depend on. I want Usopp to come back alive. Give it any and all renovations that it needs. Make it the best ship in the east blue." Merry smiled and bowed, before walking out of the room. Kaya looked out at the rising crescent moon and smiled slightly. "And so it begins… Usopp…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Wake up. Wake up Luffy. It is minutes before dawn." Gold roger whispered to Luffy s he slept. Luffy snored and slept on. Gold roger growled before thinking of a plan. "Defend yourself!" Luffy immediately sprang up, sword drawn, trying to block a blow that was not there. Luffy blinked before scowling.

"Don't do that. It's not funny."

"I was not trying to be humorous. It is minutes before dawn. You need to wake up the others." Luffy shook his head to clear the cobwebs and walked over to Zoro, not noticing Usopp with his eyes open and wide, confused as to what he saw. What he had just seen was momentous… if he knew what he just saw.

"Luffy… we have a witness." Luffy whirled around and saw Usopp hastily shut his eyes.

"Usopp… how much were you awake for?" Usopp quickly thought up a lie.

"I, uh, I can't hear you, Luffy! I have this, uh, inner ear problem! I can't hear a thing in the morning! So, I didn't hear you talking with an invisible mystery man!" all at once, Usopp realized he had blown his cover. "I, uh, I mean…"

"Stop. You're making up lies." Luffy sighed and twirled his hat. "So, you know of one of my secrets. What are you going to do with it?" Usopp gulped.

"Well, I, um, don't even know what I just saw, so, I wouldn't know what to do with it!" Luffy smiled, immensely relieved. He didn't want that information to get out just yet.

"Good. That is very good. Now, help me wake up the others." Luffy stepped back again for Zoro, only to see Usopp standing stock still. Luffy sighed in exasperation. "Look, I know you want to know what that was, but right now, we have a higher priority with the black cat pirates! I'll tell you all eventually, if we make it out of this alive!" Usopp, with some deliberation, nodded and walked over to Nami. Luffy took one look at Zoro and kicked him in the ribs. "Oy! Marimo-head! Wake up!"

"Don't ever call me that again." Zoro grumbled as he propped himself up. He looked out at the rising sun. "It's time, huh?"

"Yep. You can see their ship getting close." He pointed to a black dot miles out to sea. The black dot was getting closer at an alarming rate. "c'mon, let's hide. If they see we're here, they'll spook." Zoro nodded, and the four f them him behind one of the cliffs.

The Black Cat's pirate ship slid up the beach front with a crunch of sand and gravel. With a bloodthirsty whoop, the Black Cat pirates leaped onto the beach the beach and charged up the hill. Luffy gestured to Usopp, who nodded. With a quick pull and release from his slingshot, a pebble sliced through a bag of caltrops hanging from one of the cliff sides. The caltrops poured out of the bag and into the feet of the unsuspecting pirates. With a scream, the pirates leaped backwards, only to slide back down the hill covered in oil. Luffy grinned. "And the show begins."

"What are you brainless idiots doing? We've got to make it to the captain on time, or he'll cut all our throats!" Luffy stepped out from behind the cliff amid silent protests from the three. Django's eyes narrowed. "Ah. I see. Interference."

"Yes, Django. Interference." Luffy walked down the hill slowly, not sliding once. "I could take on all of Black Cat pirates all by myself. But I'm not." Luffy looked up at his three friends, who, by that time, had realized there was no point in hiding. "They are going to help me."

"And the captain?"

"Kuro no doubt knows that it's going to be more than just me fighting. I see no problem with it. Your crew against mine." Django snorted. "And I would much rather you not blurt out the specifications of our little deal. They have no idea about it."

"Very well, then. As one pirate captain to another, I will honor your request." Django looked up at the three. "Can they hear us?"

"I would not be talking so freely about the wager if they could." Luffy grinned. "Send your crew against me, one-two Django. It's time for a fight."

"Aye. That it is. All right, you scurvy sea dogs! ATTACK!" Django screamed, and the crew of the Black Cat pirates charged, cutlasses swinging. Luffy merely smirked.

"Me against an entire crew… I think they're getting the raw end of the deal." Luffy leaped up into the air and shot into the seething horde of pirates. Nami gasped and tried to run, but Zoro held her back.

"Don't. You know the captain. He wouldn't rush headlong into a situation he couldn't handle. He is a thinker." The ring of pirates surrounding Luffy exploded out in a flurry of limbs, completely unconscious. Usopp gaped.

"What! What are you doing! Get up!" Django whipped out his chakram. "At one, two, Django, you will all be healed, and become stronger. And you will keep getting stronger and stronger!" Django waved the chakram back and forth. "One… two… DJANGO!" the wounds of the Black Cat pirates knitted themselves back together, and the scream of battle was more like that of a feral animal. Luffy looked up at his crew.

"I think I might need some help now." He didn't, of course, but he didn't want them feeling left out. Zoro drew his swords and ran into the fray. Usopp gulped and drew his slingshot back. Nami merely sat back, wondering how she could help.

"Tiger… TRAP!" two pirates fell, blood gushing from them. Zoro looked up at Luffy, who had now drawn his sword. "You think you can handle this much, captain?" Luffy grinned.

"Of course! Even without my powers, this is a cinch!" Luffy lunged forward and stabbed a man in the gut, sliding out and slicing across another's torso. Both fell to the ground bleeding. "Ah, screw this! This is getting boring!" Luffy calmly wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it, fending off the pirate attackers with his feet. "Gomu Gomu GIANT SCYTHE!" the Black Cat pirates fell like wheat to a scythe as Luffy calmly dusted off his hands. He looked Django straight in the eye. "c'mon, Django! Don't you have anything better I can fight?" Django eyed the carnage the two had laid with a disbelieving eye.

"What was that you just did? What black magic did you just do?" Django grinned. "I think it's time we brought out the heavy artillery. BUTCHIE! SIAM! GET DOWN HERE!" he screamed up to the ship. Two shadowy figures peered over the side.

"Well, I'll be damned! The straw hat's got some spunk! The entire crew's laid out like dead mice to a ratter!"

"Shall we join the fray?"

"We shall!" the two ship's guards leaped down and landed gracefully. "Butchie and Siam, reporting for duty! We'll slice up anybody you want!" Django pointed at Luffy and Zoro.

"Cut them down." Butchie and Siam backed away fearfully, trembling.

"bu-b-but, they look really tough!" Siam stuttered.

"Yeah! We're just the ship guards! We're not supposed to do any fighting!" Luffy snorted.

"c'mon, you two. Your act's not fooling anybody! Just get up here and fight!" Siam looked up at Luffy with an appraising eye.

"Not bad, if you can see through the act. All right then! Butchie! It's time we carve ourselves some pirate!" Siam rushed in while Butchie leaped into the air.

"Cat-a-pult! Cat-strike! Cat-astrophe!" the fat Black Cat pirate landed straight on Luffy's head, who didn't move an inch. The pirate captain was flatter than a pancake as the ground beneath him cracked like a pancake. Usopp's head twitched to the side, foaming at the mouth.

"Hah! He was all talk!" a cool blade touched his neck, and Butchie hissed.

"Who's all talk, now?" Django flinched back.

"Pussyfoot!" Luffy grinned.

"No. not the pussyfoot maneuver. My own special brand of kick-ass!" Luffy punted Butchie forward, where he rolled into a cliff. "I think you can take care of the other one, Zoro. Have fun!" Luffy charged off towards Butchie. Zoro grinned.

"Aye aye, captain!" with a slash of his blades, he was engaged in battle with the second ship guard. "So, you think you can beat me?" Zoro swung his left sword at Siam. When he caught it with both hands, he slashed at his stomach. The cat-like pirate fell down, seemingly dead. Zoro prodded at him. "No blood? You're not dead yet."

"Aye, that I'm not!" with a quick jump, Siam was on Zoro's back. "I'll take these!" with a quick twist of his hands, both of Zoro's swords were in his hand. "Lost something, me bucko? You don't need these anymore!" he tossed the two swords away, only to dodge Justin time from an irritable swordsman.

"Swords that don't belong to you…" he swung at Siam. "Should be respected!" Siam caught the blade again.

"But isn't one sword good enough for you?" Siam leered. "Come now, try your luck!" Zoro cursed and rushed forwards.

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"cat-a-pult!" Butchie leaped up into the air. Luffy rolled out of the way as the ground cracked beneath his feet. "You're a mobile little rat. Stop moving around and let me kill you!"

"And become a pirate flavored pancake? No thanks, I'll pass." Luffy slashed with his sword as Butchie wound up for another leap. "Stay down!"

"GHH!" Butchie bit back a curse as the blade bit into his stomach. He grabbed the katana and yanked it out of Luffy's grip. "Stop playing with your twigs!" he tossed the sword into the cliff, where it stayed buried up to the hilt. "Now, fight like a man!"

"You asked for it!" Luffy lunged forward and smashed his fist into the fat ship guard's face. Butchie rolled like a bowling ball into the cliff. Luffy calmly walked over to his sword and yanked on it. "Damn, you got this thing in there good!" Luffy pounded on the cliff. The entire section fell outwards, and Luffy pulled his katana free from the rubble. "There we go!" he looked over to Butchie, who was slowly getting up. "y'know, I was using the sword to give you a fighting chance against me. But, if you don't want me to use it…" Luffy sheathed it, before pulling back his fist. "Gomu Gomu PISTOL!" the rubber fist shot out and socked Butchie in the face, and the pirate fell unconscious. Luffy looked over to Zoro. "Oy! Having a bit of trouble, are we?"

"Just shut up and get me my swords!" Zoro ground out as Siam slashed at Zoro's stomach, splitting it open like a fish. Luffy nodded and started to run for them, only to see Nami running as well.

"Looks like my job is done." He spotted Django winding up. "Or, not." With a quick Gomu Gomu Pistol, Django was out like a light. Nami grabbed the two swords and tossed them to Zoro.

"Don't toss my swords around like paperweights!" Zoro yelled at Nami. She merely stuck her tongue out at him. "Cheeky woman…" despite his grumbling, Zoro was immensely pleased as he resettled his katana into his grip. "Oni GIRI!" with a forward slash, Siam was on the ground and bleeding. Zoro sighed and sheathed his swords. "That was too easy."

"Was it now?" Luffy looked up to see Kuro up at the top of the hill, an unconscious and bloodied Usopp hanging from his clawed grip. "They were taking too long, so I had to see what was happening. I see my crew was no match for you. My compliments." He pushed up his glasses in a sinister way. "However, you will not find me such an easy opponent!" Zoro looked about to charge, when Luffy shoved an arm in the way.

"No. he's mine. I'll take Kuro on." He stepped forward. "Kuro of the thousand plans. Hunted by the marines for thirteen years. Supposedly executed three years ago. Caught by lieutenant axe-hand Morgan. Uses extreme speed and finger blades to attack." He tipped his hat. "it will be an honor to defeat someone as distinguished as you."

"you know a lot about me. however, I seem to be at a disadvantage. I know nothing about you. who you are, what your fighting style is, nothing." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "let's see if we can remedy that."

"aye, let's see." Luffy cocked his fist. "Gomu Gomu PISTOL!" the fist shot out at Kuro, only for Kuro to disappear into thin air. He reappeared standing on the outstretched arm.

"A devil fruit. I see."

"I'm a rubber man." Luffy grinned. "And I got a few more tricks in my book." The section of arm that Kuro was standing on melted into water, and the other arm swung around to clothesline Kuro in the face. Kuro was sent flying into the cliff. Luffy grinned. "Can't touch this."

"Oh? Is that so?" Kuro reappeared behind Luffy, finger blade at his neck. "touch." Luffy laughed.

"Hahaha! Very nice! However…" Luffy whirled around. "The game is up. Gomu Gomu GATLING GUN!" a barrage of fists assaulted Kuro, and the now extremely bloodied captain was barely standing. He drew his sword. "Goodbye!" and he ran Kuro through. He drew the slick blade out as Kuro fell to the ground. "I think that counts as a defeat, Kuro." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I would have thought I'd get a bigger challenge out of you, Kuro. I guess not."

Luffy kneeled to the bloodied Kuro, who laughed weakly. "impossible. I lost. I lost to you, straw-hat Luffy. and so quickly, too. You are not a man. You are a demon."

"You got that right." Luffy held out his arm, which Kuro grabbed onto. "Welcome to the straw-hat pirates, captain Kuro."

"Hehehehe…hahahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kuro laughed hysterically. "BLACK CAT PIRATES!" the few conscious men turned. "We sail to the grand line under the straw-hat flag!" the straw-hat pirates and Usopp started and stared at Luffy, who had bandaged his katana wound, slung their fallen enemy's arm around his shoulder and was assisting him in walking.

"Luffy! What are you doing!" Usopp cried out. "He's going to kill Kaya! Why are you helping him up!"

"He and I had a wager. The person who lost this little encounter was to swear allegiance to the winner. Kuro lost. He is now the first captain in the Straw Hat Armada." Luffy grinned. Usopp stared.

"You… you gambled Kaya's LIFE! For his allegiance!"

Luffy grinned. "Nope! There was never any gamble at all! 'Cause the odds were stacked! He could never win against the four of us!" Kuro grinned ruefully and shook his head, even though he now knew it was completely true. "The entire thing was completely rigged in our favor!" Usopp stared. "'Cause nobody wins against brave warriors of the sea!" Usopp, against his will, smiled just the tiniest bit. Zoro palmed his face.

"Only Luffy could come up with a harebrained idea like this…" Luffy just smiled.

"and my armada is born…"

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Usopp slammed the glass down, the taste of beer in his mouth. Luffy sat down beside him. The two enjoyed their drinks for a few minutes, before Luffy spoke. "I intend to make sure Kuro follows my word. He will never do something like this again."

"But will you?" Usopp took a swig of his drink. "Will you gamble somebody's life in order to gain a new ship?" Luffy was silent for a moment.

"When you join the Straw Hat pirates." Luffy started. "When you join the Straw Hat pirates, you join as yourself. You leave everything in your past life behind. You leave your old grudges, you leave behind enemies, you leave behind your homes. The only things you bring with you are your talents, your ambition, and your willingness to follow the straw hat on the flag. When Kuro joined, he left everything behind, except his skill and his willingness to follow me." Luffy took a swig. "That's what it means to be a Straw Hat pirate." Usopp was silent.

"I intend to go to the grand line and find on piece. Along to way, I'm going to find many people. I am absolutely sure that I will find shanks in the grand line. Your father is with him." Usopp remained silent. "If you wish to join, you will almost certainly find your father. But the choice is yours." Luffy finished his drink, paid the bill for both of them, and left the small tavern. Usopp was left there, cradling his drink and thinking. Thinking about the enigma wearing a straw hat.

"Are you sure it is wise, leaving it like this, Luffy? He could decide not to join you." gold roger talked as Luffy walked along the dirt roads in the town.

"Yes, but if I tried to force him to join, it would be worse than if he did not join at all. I would have to deal with one of my nakama hating me for who I am. I could not possibly deal with that on a daily basis." Luffy answered as he walked into the inn they were staying at. Luffy climbed up the stairs and slumped into his bed. "Roger, I don't think I can deal with the stress of keeping all these secrets. They are wearing down on me. I feel like I'm going to explode."

"It is difficult. I realize that. But you must keep them for a while longer. They must not know the truth yet. Your nakama would react in ways that we can't predict."

"One of them is already acting in ways we can't predict!" Luffy screamed. "Usopp might not join the crew like last time, and then where are we! I don't know where I could get another friend like him, dammit!" he slumped down further into the bed. "I loved them all! I loved all my nakama, dammit, and they died right in front of me! I let them die! I let my nakama die right in front of my eyes! And now, I'm keeping all these secrets from them! I don't know what to do… I don't know anymore, dammit…" and Luffy broke down and cried. Zoro pushed himself off of the wall outside Luffy's room. This only confirmed what he had already come to believe. Luffy, his captain, his strange, wonderfully enigmatic captain was hiding some terrible, awful secret from them. Whether it was for their own good or not, he was hiding something big. Now, the only thing that was hidden to the first mate of the straw hat pirates was what that secret was. And who this mysterious 'roger' person was… Zoro would find out. After all… a true swordsman had patience…

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One week after that fateful battle, and Luffy was happier than he had truly been in a long time.

"Wow! What an awesome ship!" Luffy whooped in joyful glee as he saw his beloved Going Merry whole once again. Luffy ran up to it and onto the deck. He saw one major difference, though. "What's this?" he pointed to a strange, circular object with wooden pegs sticking out of it.

"Oh, that?" Merry peered up at the object. "That is a steering wheel. It's a kind of turning mechanism that is becoming quite popular these days. It took quite a bit of effort to override the old steering system and install it, but it apparently has the ship responding faster than any else like it." Luffy walked over to the strange and foreign object. It was odd, he would admit, but, it seemed to fit with the ship. Like it was meant to be there. Like the Going Merry was meant to have a steering wheel. "We also added a briefing room in the hull, for any major crew meetings. And, we added a captain's quarters, since there was only two bunking rooms. I hope you like it." Nami giggled.

"Looks like love at first sight to me." Luffy was oblivious to her little quip and Merry's words as he gave the wheel an experimental twirl.

"A steering wheel, eh…? How would you have liked it, Merry…?" Luffy cooed to the ship.

"_I like it very much, captain. It suits me well." _Luffy jumped out of his skin at hearing the voice. _"Thank you captain. You have given me a chance to carry you once more."_

"Merry…?" Luffy whispered, disbelief running rampant in his voice. "You… you're alive again?"

"_Yes. I felt the tug at my soul when you traveled back here. Thanks to your endeavor, I am once again whole." _Luffy stroked the handles.

"Can the others hear you?"

"_Just as you are the only one to be from the future, you are the only one who can hear me." _Luffy smiled.

"Another of my nakama is back with me again…" he looked down from the ship at Zoro and Nami. "Everyone is alive again…" he jumped down from the boat onto solid ground. "I love the ship! Give my thanks to Miss Kaya!" Merry shook his head and smiled at the exuberant pirate.

"Give your thanks to her yourself. Klahadore is helping her from the mansion to here." at Luffy's surprised look, merry gave a sad smile. "She… she had thought that Usopp was going with you." Luffy's smile dropped off his face.

"Yeah… it looks like he's not coming…" Luffy heard a crunch of gravel that indicated someone was coming down the hill. He looked up, almost hopefully. But all he saw was Kuro helping Miss Kaya down the hill. He looked down as they reached the bottom.

"Luffy… where's Usopp?" Kaya looked around, but there was no sign of the long-nosed liar. "I thought he was going to be here…"

"I... I don't think he's coming… I'm sorry."

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" a scream bounced down the hill as a rolling boulder stampeded down. Luffy's head snapped up. A face-splitting grin brighter than the sun lit his face as he planted his foot, along with Zoro's, into Usopp's face, preventing him from damaging the ship.

"Thanks." Usopp mumbled, the two feet distorting his words.

"No problem." Luffy pulled his foot down from his friend's face. "What are you doing here?" Usopp straightened himself up with the pack that was bigger than himself, before smirking.

"Why, to be your captain, of course! You bunch of wimps need the great captain Usopp as your leader!" Luffy looped his arm around Usopp's shoulder.

"I'm the captain, got it!" he screamed in Usopp's ear. "But you can be the sharpshooter!" he smiled sweetly as he picked up the twitching Usopp and tossed him to Zoro, who was already on board.

"wait." Kuro held up a hand. He turned to Merry and Kaya. "I have some things I wish to say to them before they leave… that boy in particular." He pointed at Usopp, who was now standing erect. "I would be greatly appreciative if you would go wait back at the mansion for me."

"Very well, Klahadore." Kaya turned to the Straw Hat pirates. "Goodbye! Good bye, everybody! Goodbye, Usopp! Take care!" she waved to them as she walked up the hill, assisted by merry. "Take care of Usopp, everybody!" once they were out of sight, Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"I believe that is the best way for me to leave. Miss Kaya would not be appreciative if she found out I was a pirate while I was still in the vicinity." Kuro calmly strolled the gangplank onto the Going Merry. With calm collectedness, Kuro pulled on his bladed gloves. "The Black Cat pirates are around the hill. They await my signal to move out."

"Very well. Proceed, captain Kuro." Kuro nodded.

"As you wish, captain Luffy." Kuro held up his hands and spread his fingers wide. The ten blades caught the glint of the sun, and the effect was like ten streams of fire. The pirate ship slowly sailed out of a hidden cove. Usopp turned to Luffy.

"I still don't trust him, you know."

"I would be worried if you did."

"I don't fully trust you either, to tell the truth." Usopp crossed his arms. "You spared his life and took him aboard, when he made it fully clear he was planning to kill Kaya for her money. If I feel that you are taking this crew in the wrong direction, I am taking control faster than you can blink." Luffy extended his hand.

"It's good to know I'll always have a conscience in you, Usopp." Usopp grabbed his hand and shook it. Luffy turned his attention to Kuro. "If you are going to be on my crew, then who is commanding your ship?"

"Django is still acting commander of the Black Cat pirates. However, I can still relay messages to him via Morse code." Kuro lifted his pointer finger and twisted it a few times. "I told him to fire a wide shot with one cannon." the thunder of a single cannon followed his words. Luffy nodded, faintly impressed.

"Alright, then. Meeting in the briefing room, right now!"

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"Merry… what's this?" Kaya pulled a note stuck to their door with a dagger and read it.

_Dear Miss Kaya,_

_I have decided to join up with the Straw Hat pirates. I once was a pirate myself, and their visit has awakened in me urges that I have not felt since I started working here for you. These past three years have been an unexpected joy for me, and I hope to see you again someday._

_Klahadore/Kuro, captain of the Black Cat pirates._

"Klahadore…" Kaya held the note to her chest, as it was all that was left of the kind, protective butler she once knew. "I hope that I can see you again someday, too…"

"Me too." Merry whispered quietly.

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"Okay, then. This is the first tactics meeting of the Straw Hat pirate crew." Luffy sat at the head of the wide desk, feet propped up on the wood. "Here, we can voice any opinions, complaints, and talk about what we need to do next."

"I vote for my being captain!" Usopp opened immediately.

"Denied. Anybody else?" Usopp hung his head at Luffy's blatant rejection.

"We need more crewmembers. We have a decent amount now, but this ship will not fully function until we have a full crew." Luffy nodded, acknowledging the wisdom in Kuro's words.

"I agree. What positions can any of you think of that we need immediately?"

"We're well equipped on this ship for it, but we still need a professional cook for us." Luffy nodded at Nami's words.

"And the cook'll need to know how to fight. We can't have any useless fighters on a pirate ship." Luffy nodded again at Zoro.

"And where better to find a fighting cook than on the fighting, floating restaurant, the Baratie? Home of the sea cooks. We'll find our man there. I'll stake my life on it." Luffy took his feet down from the table. "All in favor of the Baratie being our next stop?" all hands went into the air. "Very well, then. Our next stop is the floating restaurant, the Baratie!"

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And… cut! Print and save that, people, it's a wrap!

Whew! There you go, people! A healthy dose of action! Though I must say, I feel like I mangled it horribly. I've always been bad at fight scenes, so, please don't complain! I just suck at it!

I wasn't sure how to get Kuro into there for a second, either! I thought I had painted myself into a corner! But it's all good now! Five reviews get the next action-filled chapter of The Will of D!

(P.S. cookies to the person who can figure out where I got part of Luffy's little speech to Usopp. Specifically the 'there's always a…(other stuff) **do… not… know about it**' thing.)

Review. You know you want to.


	7. Captain Of The Guard

Chapter siete. Enjoy.

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Disclaimer: (plucking on a sunflower) I own it, I don't own it. I own it, I don't own it. I own it, I don't own it. 'Runs out of sunflower petals' dammit! That's the 57th time, and I still don't own One Piece!

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"Kuro. Step into the briefing room for a minute. I wish to speak with you about something." Kuro nodded and walked with Luffy into the large room in the hull. Luffy turned around and looked Kuro square in the eye. "Now, Kuro. You must realize by now that I am a very practical man. I do everything I do for a reason." Kuro nodded. "I have allowed you to become a member of this crew, amid much complaint, because I will have need of your talents in the future."

"Talents, sir?"

"Your nickname is Kuro of the thousand plans. You have a brilliant mind for strategy, who can plan years ahead for one single action. I will be needing that greatly in the coming months." Luffy's eyes took on a steely glint. "In the coming months, once I have assembled a proper crew, I will begin to wage war on the world government." Kuro flinched back and hissed. "I have seen the corruption that runs miles deep in the system. I have witnessed the inhumanity in their ways. I have lived the way they would do anything to further their careers. The entire system needs an overhaul. I intend to be the one who does it."

"You sound like the world's most wanted criminal, the revolutionary Dragon." Luffy looked around.

"Can you keep a secret?" Kuro, amid slight confusion, nodded. Luffy leaned in. "he's my daddy." Kuro sputtered in complete and utter shock. His brilliant mind had shut down at the fact that his brand new captain was the son of the most wanted criminal in the world, and that he was following in his father's footsteps. "A bit much to take in, isn't it? I was a little shocked when I found out too."

"You…"

"I trust you with this knowledge because you are going to be our intelligence and strategy officer in the upcoming months. When it comes to tactics and things that need doing in the name of strategy, you will have my complete and utter focus. Any and all information that concerns the enemy, whoever it may be, cannot be withheld from you. Do you understand, captain Kuro?" Kuro nodded dumbly. "Good. You are dismissed." Luffy walked out of the briefing room, Kuro still standing mutely. He spotted a large rock jutting out of the surf. Luffy grinned. 'Time for Johnny and Yosaku to make an appearance.' With a calm stroll up to the cannons, Luffy adjusted the aim and fired. The cannon barely missed the rock. Luffy looked up, faintly impressed. 'My aim's getting better.'

"Luffy! What are you doing?" Usopp walked over to the captain.

"I'm testing the cannons to see if they work. But this one doesn't seem to want to aim right." Usopp took a look at it, jiggled it around a bit, and lit the fuse. The cannonball flew out, and struck the rock dead on. Luffy grinned. 'That'll hurt them just a bit.' "Wow! You're a good shot! I knew you'd be the sharpshooter for the crew!" Usopp grinned and thumbed his chest.

"Well, what do you expect? I'm a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp halted in the middle of his tirade of self-glorifying when a speck of brown started moving from the blown-up rock. "Wait… is that a boat! From the rock we just shot at!" Luffy peered out.

"Get any and all lemons you can find up on deck. Start making it into lemonade." Luffy leaped up to the rail. "Nobody would willingly stop at a spit of rock that small unless they were sick. I'll bet my hat someone's got scurvy." Luffy leaped off and into the surf in a graceful dive. Within seconds, Luffy was at the side of the boat and peering over the side. "Hey! Were you just on that rock we shot at? Sorry! We thought it was deserted!"

"You tried to kill us!" Johnny pulled out his large sword, but was stopped when he almost stepped on Yosaku's face. Luffy peered over into the bottom of the boat.

"Yep. It's scurvy alright. I'll get you to the ship. I've got the crew working on some lemonade over there. That should help his case out." With a shove from Luffy, the boat was skipping along at a lively click. Luffy matched the speed easily. "So, what're your names?"

"We'll not tell our murderers our names!" Johnny said, although he sounded much less sure of himself. Luffy sighed theatrically.

"That's a real shame. Are you guys bounty hunters?" Johnny remained tight lipped. "Because I've got a former bounty hunter on my crew as first mate! His name is Zoro!"

"You know Zoro!" Johnny exclaimed, before being pitched forward when the boat rammed into the side of the Going Merry.

"Oy! Usopp! Give us a lift!" the long nosed liar nodded before tossing a ladder down to them. "c'mon, get up there. I'll get your friend up." Johnny, after a token amount of hesitation, nodded and started climbing the ladder up onto the deck. Luffy swiftly slung Yosaku over his shoulder and scaled the ladder. He gently placed the scurvy-ridden man on the wood. "How's that lemonade coming, Usopp?"

"Err, Nami should have it about done by now! So, are these the guys in the boat?" Luffy picked up Yosaku gently, so as not to disturb his reopened wounds.

"Yeah. And I was right. This one's got scurvy. It looks like a fairly bad case. Some vitamin C should help." With a gentle hand, Luffy laid the prone body of Yosaku on the deck. "Oy! Nami! Are you done with that lemonade yet? It looks pretty bad!"

"Right here!" Nami walked out from the hold, carrying a huge tankard of lemonade. "This enough for you, captain?" Luffy merely grabbed the tankard, took a small sip of it, and grinned.

"Not bad for a job on the fly. My compliments." Luffy handed it to Johnny. "Get him to drink that. Do it slowly, too. It wouldn't do for him to drown when we're treating him for scurvy." Johnny and started pouring the yellow liquid down the man's throat. Luffy looked at Nami. "I think I figured out another position we need. We got lucky, since scurvy is a fairly recognizable illness, and its treatment is just as easy. But we'll need a professional ship doctor to treat the less recognizable ailments." Luffy knelt down to Yosaku, who was gasping for air. "How you feeling?"

"YAHHHH!" he leaped up. Johnny grabbed his friend by the arm, and the two twirled around in a merry jig. "I'm alive! I was a hair's breath from death, and you saved me!" Luffy grabbed him and threw him to the timbers.

"Don't get up yet. You had a pretty bad case of scurvy, and you are still healing. Don't make me clobber you to stay down." Yosaku scooted fearfully away from the man in front of him. He stayed down, just like Luffy said… for about five seconds, before he leaped up and ran to Zoro, who had just walked out of the ship.

"Brother Zoro! You are on this ship!" Zoro looked at the bounty hunter in front of him, faintly surprised.

"Johnny? Yosaku? What are you doing here?"

"We found them drifting on the sea. Hold Yosaku down for me, will ya? He had a bad case of scurvy, and he refuses to stay still." Zoro nodded before grabbing Yosaku by the face and ramming him into the ground. Yosaku coughed up blood, face horribly mangled.

"A hair's breath from death…" Nami smacked Luffy upside the head.

"Idiot! You're doing more damage to him than the scurvy ever did!" Luffy rubbed the place where her fist had struck, embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Could you fix him up, Nami?" Nami huffed and threw up her arms.

"I swear! Sometimes you act so intelligent, and nice, and funny, and then you act like this!" Nami stomped off to treat Yosaku. Johnny inched up to Luffy's side.

"I think she likes you." Luffy stared at Johnny like he had grown a second head.

"The hell are you talking about?" Johnny backed away.

"I dunno, I thought, y'know, she sorta praised you for all the things that girls look for in guys, and, yeah…" Luffy stared, more shocked than he had been in a long time.

"Really? I sorta flirted with her before when I met her, but that was just a joke!" Johnny shook his head while chuckling softly.

"My friend, you do not flirt with a woman without expecting her to reciprocate. If you do not expect or want them to return the attention, you do not flirt with them!" Luffy snorted, clearly not appreciating his advice.

"Oh, and I suppose you're the wise and all-powerful master guru of flirting." Johnny looked at the rubber man with a hard glare.

"I'm trying to save you from a situation that you apparently do not want. But seeing as how you do not appreciate my help, you can forget it." Johnny walked off. Luffy palmed his face in exasperation.

"God dammit… I need to clear my head…" he leaped to the edge of the railing. "I'm going for a swim. Zoro, you're in charge while I'm gone." With a graceful dive, Luffy penetrated the water without a sound. Zoro looked up from his nap.

"Aye aye, captain…" he looked at Nami. "Now it's your turn to work your stuff, navigator. Find us a floating restaurant."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"This is certainly looking a lot better then Oceana was." Luffy peered at the happy faces of the sea creatures walking the somehow paved streets of the ocean floor. "So, what should we do here? It doesn't look like this place needs any help…" gold roger, whose water clone was walking alongside him, shrugged.

"We had no reason to come to Aquarian. You merely wanted away from your crew." Luffy sighed.

"I know, I know. But it's getting so convoluted lately, you know? I mean, Usopp apparently is looking for any slip-up I make to knife me in the back; Nami seems to like me, if Johnny's assumption is correct, and Kuro is part of our crew. It's getting too confusing." Gold roger placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Time travel was not meant for those of weak mentality. It is a miracle that you can not only survive all of this, you are actively making changes to the way things were meant to run. That would drive most men insane." Luffy shrugged, deciding not to answer. With a slow stride, the two humans pushed open the door to a tavern. All motion in the bar stopped as the bar crowd turned to looked at the two strangers. Gold roger tensed. "Get ready. I sense there's going to be trouble." A merman, clearly the spokesman, walked up to Luffy.

"Hey! What're you two doing in our town?"

"Mermen come to the surface to mingle with humans on a regular basis. Surely it is not strange if humans come to return the favor." Luffy said with a monotone voice, not betraying any emotion. The merman became enraged.

"Get out of our town, human! You are not welcome!" Luffy brushed past the burly fishman and sat down on one of the stools. "Hey! look at me when I'm talking to you!" he grabbed Luffy by the shoulder, only to fall back unconscious as Luffy extracted his fist from his face.

"Don't touch me." gold roger looked around at the pissed off sea creatures.

"Now you've done it." A catfish merman rushed at gold roger, only to be thrown over the shoulder. "You just can't go anywhere here without getting into a fight with someone, can you?"

"Hey, they started it!" Luffy whirled around, taking out the multiple fighters about to fight. "It's not my fault that they're so aggressive!"

"Aye, I suppose not. You should still be careful who you pick a fight with." Gold roger smashed a merman's face in with his foot. "But honestly, you would think that the mermen would be more of a challenge."

"Not much is a challenge after fighting you for two years, roger." Luffy drew his blade, the resistance of the water not hindering his swordsmanship at all as he sliced through the assailants. "I think that's about it." A slow clap from a corner of the bar alerted the two.

"Well done, well done indeed. You fight just like my great grandfather used to tell Me." a young swordfish merman stood up, clearly not intoxicated despite the countless wrappers of alcohol-soaked seaweed flowing off his table. Gold roger looked up at this newcomer.

"Oh? And who do we fight like?" the swordfish man snorted, before spitting into a small bowl on his table.

"You fight just like the two kings from the golden age of the sea."

"And how would you know how the two kings fight?" Luffy asked.

"Because my more-greats-than-I-care-to-remember grandfather was the captain of the guard for the two kings." Gold roger stiffened.

"You are a descendant of Xiphias!" Luffy looked at the merman in front of him with awe in his eyes.

"Yeah. The old coot is why I'm here." he spat into the bowl. "The old man taught his children that the two kings would return, and that they should instill hope into their children. After a few generations, everybody labeled our family as crackpots and liars. A thousand years of shame and humiliation follow us like a bad smell." He spat into the bowl again. "And all because one man was crazy enough to believe that the golden age of the sea was coming back." Luffy looked at the merman with strange eyes. "So how are you down here and alive? As far as I can tell, humans lost their ability to come to us when the lost continent fell."

"You know of the lost continent." Luffy spoke.

"Every merman knows of the lost continent. They were the only people who were able to run with us on the bottom of the sea. They were the mermen's first, and only, equal in the world." Luffy nodded.

"Then why do the mermen not speak of the lost continent on the surface?" The merman spat into the bowl again.

"Because we're not stupid. Your government doesn't want that information to be spread around, and they are willing to kill to keep the information of the lost continent a secret. We know when to keep our mouths shut." The merman shook his head. "I'm Uoken. Good to meet you, humans." Luffy grabbed his hand and shook it. Quick as a flash, Luffy's hand was turned up and revealed to Uoken's eye. "Interesting ring you have there, human. Where'd you get it?" Luffy pulled his hand out of the swordfish's grip.

"It's mine. I've had it for as long as I can remember." Uoken snorted.

"Do you know what that ring is? That is the signet ring of the two kings. If you knew what that ring meant, you would not even be wearing it. Now, I know for a fact that the mayor of Oceana had this ring. I'll ask you again. Where did you get this ring?"

"It's mine. The mayor may have had it, but he was holding onto it for my return."

"Lies. The mayors of Oceana have had that ring for generations. It was given to them by Xiphias himself. Why did you steal it from the mayor?" his voice took on a steely edge.

"I had this ring commissioned and created myself. I gave it to Xiphias to safeguard it for when I returned. It was mine in the beginning and it is mine again." Gold roger spoke. "I know this for a fact. I remember it as if it were yesterday." Uoken's eyes widened slightly, before laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You claim to be the two kings! Are you mad! You go around telling people that and they'll lock you up forever! The sea kings disappeared forever! They aren't coming back!" Luffy merely looked at Uoken with sad eyes.

"You do not believe that the two kings will return? That is sad news. You do not share your ancestor's conviction."

"Of course not! I'm not holding out for a fairy tale that will never happen! I live with my mind on today, and not with it in the past. The golden age of the sea was the greatest time on earth, but those days are long gone. They aren't coming back." Luffy held out his hand.

"What would it take for us prove that the two kings will return?" Uoken spat into the bowl.

"The two kings were said to be the greatest fighters in the world. Xiphias, fortunately, gave me more than just shame and humiliation. He passed down all of the fighting secrets that made him captain of the guard. I don't know if you know this, but you only get the position if you are able to be stronger than anybody else in the kingdom. Xiphias was, literally, the strongest man in the kingdom, short of the two kings themselves. He passed down all of his secrets to the generations. Find me a person who can defeat me, and I may just acknowledge that the two kings would return. If one impossible thing can happen, why not another?" Luffy cracked his fist.

"well, why didn't you say so? I'll kick your ass all the way to fishman island." Uoken settled into a fighting stance.

"then face the greatest fighting style of our family: the Uoken, my namesake!" he lunged forward, nose ready to stab Luffy. Luffy merely grabbed the nose and threw him at the wall. The entire thing collapsed on the swordfish man.

"yes, the Uoken is one of the greatest fighting styles ever developed by Xiphias. But you know what?" Luffy grinned. "we helped develop it. We know where to debunk the entire style." Uoken snarled before attempting a roundhouse kick. As Luffy easily grabbed it, he stabbed with his nose. Luffy ducked under it. "you see, the entire idea of Uoken style is to attack with your entire body, and get their defenses entirely focused on your limbs." Uoken leaped away, and tried a flying kick. Luffy ducked away. "once they are preoccupied with your fists, or feet, or whatever, you sneak through their defenses and stab them with your needle-nose. It's a difficult style to master, and only swordfish mermen can even attempt it, but if you do, it is nearly unstoppable. It works even better when you're armed with a blade." Uoken tried to stab him again, but Luffy grabbed the large nose mid-pierce. "however, if you are able to destabilize the stance, and not give them time to recover…" Luffy threw Uoken into the collapsed pile of rubble that once was a wall. Uoken scrambled to his feet, only to meet a blade point. "you can easily win the fight."

"you knew everything about the style and how to counter it. Big deal. That means nothing." Uoken tried to get back up, only for Luffy's blade to jab forward.

"I beg to differ, Uoken. You said that it was impossible to beat you. yet we did beat you with ease. You lost your deal. We won." Luffy knelt down in front of the merman. "and do you want to know a secret?" Luffy put his mouth to his fallen enemy's ear. "Xiphias was never able to win a battle against either of us. We knew all of his fighting styles too well." Luffy stood up and held his hand out, palm up. A small whirlpool started hovering over his hand. Gold Roger followed suit. "you said that we were myths. You said that your ancestors were fools to believe that we would return. And yet, here we are. Do you doubt your ancestor's convictions now?" Uoken's eyes were as big as dinner plates.

"you! you're the two kings! I… I …" his mouth flopped open and shut like a gasping fish. After a few seconds of this, merely stopped his attempts to speak and dropped to one knee. "my lieges! You are alive!"

"one of us is, anyway." Luffy stabbed Gold Roger in the stomach, and the water clone melted. "Gold Roger was dead a long time ago. That was merely his spirit manifesting through his powers. Only one of the two kings will rule." Uoken stood.

"very well, my liege. What would you have me do?"

"tell me what has happened to the palace. I may wish to rule there again once I have returned the sea to the golden era."

"my liege, I would not recommend that. The palace has been overrun by street urchins and beggars. Their filth has stained the sacred halls for over many centuries. It is not advisable to return there." Luffy nodded.

"very well. Your ancestor, Xiphias, was the captain of the guard. What would you say if you continued his legacy?" Uoken gasped and dropped to his knees again.

"my liege, it would be an honor!" Luffy gestured for him to rise. He did so. "thank you, my liege! I shall not fail you!"

"see that you don't. while I am gone, spread the word of my return. The people of Oceana already know, and no doubt are telling the common folk that I have returned, so know that if the people ridicule you, they ridicule an entire town as well. I shall be back at a later date. Wait for me." Luffy walked out of the tavern, looked up at the gleaming surface, and shot up like a rocket. Within seconds, he was gone. Uoken looked up at the stream of bubbles that followed his new master. He chuckled, before a voice at his ear startled him.

"that was an interesting display there." Uoken whirled about to find the barkeep at his side. "an interesting fellow, the sea king is." He started walking back into his bar. "tell you what, captain of the guard. You help me clean up this place after all that fighting, and all your meals here are free." Uoken smiled.

"you got yourself a deal, old man."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy shot out of the surf in a spray of water droplets. He knelt down on the water, which had gone still in a perfect circle around him. "now, let's see if I can find my ship…" Luffy pressed his palm lightly into the water. "find the Going Merry." A loud ping sounded, and a circular wave spread outward from him. a few seconds later, another wave from the north returned to him. Luffy grinned. "there we go. Now… find the Baratie." A second ping went out, and returned just as quickly, from the northeast. "alright. They're closing in. time for me to get going." With a snap of his fingers, Luffy was surrounded by a waterspout. "fire in the hole!" with a spray of water, Luffy was shot flying into the air, headed for the Baratie.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"WAAAAAHHHHH!" with a deafening crash, Luffy smashed into the roof of the Baratie. "damn! My aim was off!" it was only after he was sent flying to the ceiling by a kick to the gut that he realized he had landed on someone.

"you little shit!" Zeff roared as Luffy was punted up to the ceiling by his peg leg. "what do you think you're doing! You destroyed my restaurant!"

"hey! it's just the ceiling! And I'm sorry! My aim was off!" Zeff snorted.

"sorry doesn't fix my roof!" Zeff stroked his massive braided mustache. "can you pay?"

"no."

"then you have to work here for one year. One year. And then I'll forgive you." outwardly, Luffy protested loudly, but inwardly, Luffy smirked. He was getting good at manipulating people.

"what! But I have to meet up with my crew and head to the grand line! I'll work one week!" Zeff pounded the ground with his foot.

"you destroyed my restaurant and hurt me, and you think **one week **is enough? After all this mess, you think one week is enough?" Luffy nodded.

"yep! 'cause you wouldn't want me after one week! The ship will be barely floating with all the damage I'll have caused! Any longer, and there won't be a restaurant!" Zeff peered into the straw-hatted boy's eyes, detected no hint of lies, and laughed.

"hahahahaha! You are telling the truth! However, my decision stands. One year working here. or…" Zeff took on a dangerous glint in his eye. "you can cut off one of your legs." Luffy grinned. Time to screw with his head.

"well, why didn't you say so? That's easy!" Luffy drew his sword and sliced off his leg in a clean sweep. Zeff drew back.

"dear god, boy! I wasn't serious!" Luffy grinned.

"Neither was I!" the leg melted into water and flowed back onto his severed stump. With a speed that both fascinated and horrified Zeff, the leg reformed itself. Luffy pouted. "but I did cut off one of my legs! you have to let me go now!" Zeff stared.

"devil fruit…" Luffy nodded.

"yep! I'm a water man!"

"a water man… that's a powerful force you have there. I'm impressed. However… since you can't cut off one of your legs, and since I wasn't serious about that, one year working here will pay off your debt." Luffy nodded.

"fine. My crew is heading here anyways. We figured that we could get a fighting cook to join on our crew here." Zeff nodded.

"you've come to the right place. though I doubt you'll get any of them to join you. they're too devoted to this restaurant." Luffy shrugged.

"eh. I have my ways." He stood up and walked to the door, stopping in the frame. "so, where's the uniform? I figure there's some sort of uniform…" Zeff nodded.

"it's in the kitchen. Just pick up one of the aprons there." Luffy nodded. Zeff stood up. "I think I hear the sound of fighting. Probably Sanji and one of the customers." Luffy walked with thee peg-legged cook down the stairs.

"is Sanji a problem chef?" Zeff barked a short laugh.

"they're all problem chefs. This is the Baratie, home of the sea cooks. They've all got fire in their veins. Though Sanji gets in far more fights than the rest of them."

"I could take him off your hands." Zeff shook his head.

"Even if I wanted him gone, and I don't, because I love him like a son. A delinquent son, but a son nonetheless. He's too devoted to me and this restaurant. You couldn't pry him from this place with a crowbar." Zeff sighed. "Though I know that eventually, the call of the sea will pull hi away from here. Did you know that his lifelong dream is to find the All Blue?" Luffy looked up.

"What a coincidence! I know from a reliable source that Raftel, the island where One Piece is hidden, is smack dab in the middle of the All Blue! I'm headed to Raftel!" Zeff smiled.

"If what you say is true, then take him. Take the little bastard. I haven't known you for more than five minutes, and I already trust you with him." Zeff kicked open the door leading into the dining room. "Sanji! What the hell's going on here!"

"boss! Sanji's beating up another customer again!" Patty yelled as two cooks tried to restrain Sanji from the marine. Zeff kicked Sanji in the face with his peg leg.

"you trying to destroy my restaurant!" Zeff spotted the bloody marine laying in front of him. "get out of my restaurant now!" Luffy laughed as Zeff kicked Lt. Fullbody in the side, rolling him out of the restaurant.

"you've got as much fire in your veins as they do, boss!" Zeff smirked.

"The customer is king!"

"only the customer could possibly eat your crappy food, right?" Zeff growled.

"Patty! Sanji! If you two want to fight, then take it back inside the kitchen!" Luffy walked through a small side door as a marine burst into the restaurant. With a quick turn of the Kronos hourglass, Luffy was back in the treasure room. Picking up a few small gold coins, Luffy returned to the present. He walked back out just as the marine was shot in the back.

"here comes another customer…" Patty muttered.

"I hope he doesn't disturb my restaurant." Zeff agreed. Luffy remained silent as the pirate sat down in one of the chairs.

"just go and get me something to eat." Gin said to the assembly. "this is a restaurant, right?" Patty walked over to Gin, a cheesy smile on his face.

"welcome to our restaurant, sir." The crowd gasped.

"I'll say it again, since you obviously didn't hear. I am the customer, so go and get me some food!" Patty rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm most sorry, moron, but do you have any money?" gin cocked his pistol and placed it against the chef's forehead.

"you take lead? 'cause I ain't got no money." Luffy drew his hand out of his pocket as Patty pulled back his fist.

"hey. crap-cooker." Luffy flicked a coin at the man's face just as he whirled about. "he can eat with this. You can keep the change." Patty caught the coin just as it was about to hit his face.

"what? Do you expect to pay for a meal with this little thing?" Luffy chuckled.

"check again, crap-cooker. That's quite a bit of money you've got in your hand." Zeff snatched the coin out of Patty's hand and examined it. His eyes widened ever so slightly. He gave the coin back to Patty.

"Get the man our finest grub. Give him whatever he wants. After all…" he flicked the coin up in the air, and caught it in the center of his palm. "this is a huge amount of money here." Patty bowed to Zeff, and walked off to the kitchen. Zeff turned to Luffy. "do you realize how much this is worth?"

"yes. Why would I pay for this man if it was worth nothing?" Zeff stared at Luffy.

"how many of these do you have?"

"enough."

"you could pay for the roof with just one of these." Luffy shrugged.

"you meet many interesting people on a floating restaurant. Besides…" his eyes twitched back to Sanji, who was still listening. "being hungry… it's a terrible thing, isn't it?" Sanji said nothing as he bent over to gin's ear. He whispered a few words to the pirate, then walked back to the kitchen. Zeff smiled.

"you just made a good impression on Sanji. I can feel it." Gin looked up at Luffy.

"hey. kid. Thanks for the meal. I'm part of Don Krieg's crew. I'm a fairly high member in his power chain. If there's anything I can do to repay you for this, just name it." Luffy smiled a secret smile.

"I might just hold you to that." Zeff remained silent and watched the whole exchange, before kicking Luffy in the gut.

"back to the kitchens, servant boy!" Luffy got up from the blow like nothing happened.

"aye aye, boss!" and Luffy walked off into the kitchen. Sanji was waiting behind the doors when he got there.

"that was a good thing you did for that pirate. Hunger is a terrible thing." Luffy nodded.

"it was the least I could do for him. us pirates have to stick together. We may be from different crews, but we still sail under the jolly roger." Sanji nodded.

"I'm Sanji." Luffy held out his hand.

"I'm Luffy. future king of the pirates. But for now, I gotta work here for a year to work off a debt." Sanji took the hand and shook.

"that was you who destroyed the roof in the crap-geezer's room? Why'd you fire on us?" Luffy shook his head.

"that was an accident. My aim was a bit off. I meant to land in front of the ship, not in it." Sanji nodded.

"bad luck on your part, then. Though I still don't understand why you were flying through the air. The way I hear it, it was like you were fired from a cannon."

"it was the fastest way to get here. I have to meet my crew here and start looking for our new chef." Sanji looked at the straw-hatted man.

"and why here?"

"because this is the home of the fighting sea chefs. We can't have a chef that doesn't have his sea legs and can't fight, now, can we?" Sanji nodded.

"Yeah. That would be a problem. c'mon, let's get to work. The crap-geezer'll howl if we're slacking off." Luffy nodded and walked along with him into the kitchen. Sanji was at work immediately, slicing and dicing fish filets. "I'm delegating serving duties to you, straw hat. You stay here and wait for one of the orders to get finished." Luffy nodded, then stared at Sanji working.

"You're a pretty good chef, Sanji. Would you consider joining my pirate crew?" Sanji snorted.

"Not a chance in hell, straw hat. I'm staying with this restaurant until I die." Luffy nodded, his tone almost sounding apologetic.

"I see. It's a real shame, though. You meet a lot of exotic women when you're on a pirate ship." Sanji twitched. "And there's this one girl on my ship, her name's Nami, she's a real looker…" Luffy knew what he was doing was sneaky and underhanded, but it was working. Sanji looked as if he was actively considering it. "But, I guess you're not coming. Oh well…"

"You've got a silver tongue, chore boy. I actually considered joining you for a second." Sanji poured oil onto the pan, resulting in a flash of fire. "I love women, you know? But I love this restaurant more." Zeff hobbled into the kitchen.

"Eggplant! Why aren't you out there serving?" Sanji flipped the fish dinner onto a plate.

"I delegated serving to the new chore boy. He's the server now." Zeff kicked Sanji in the face, sending him flying.

"Then you're BOTH servers! Get out there!" Luffy caught the plate in the air, managing to retrieve all the flying bits of food.

"Watch it, boss! You almost ruined the food!" Zeff chuckled as Sanji scooped up another plate and followed Luffy out. Almost immediately, Luffy saw where the food was headed. He grinned. "Took you guys long enough to get here!" Zoro looked up from his drink.

"You're working here? What did you do this time?" Luffy beamed even wider.

"I blew a hole in the head chef's roof!" Sanji caught one look at Nami. He surreptitiously turned to Luffy.

"Is that…?" Luffy nodded. Sanji gently placed the food in front of Kuro, before growing hearts in his eyes. "O sea, how grateful I am for this day of days! O love! Smile upon me, for I cannot survive this pain!" Luffy snickered at the display Sanji was putting on as Nami looked on in amusement. "I would stoop to becoming a pirate, or even a devil, if I could only be with you. Such tragedy! The obstacles between us are great!" Luffy inched up behind the love-struck Sanji.

"See? I told you she was a looker." He whispered in his ear. Sanji nodded, barely taking in the words.

"Obstacles, Sanji?" Sanji whirled around.

"Argh! The crap-geezer!" Zeff pushed himself off the chair he was leaning on.

"Follow your heart. Become a pirate. I don't need you here anymore."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, this man saved you from certain death." Don Krieg said as Gin stood in front of him.

"Yeah. And one of the chefs told me where to find the supply boats." he looked around. "But I had no idea that the flagship was in such a bad condition." He thought for a moment. "Don Krieg. I'll take you to the floating restaurant Baratie!"

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Cut, and, print! Chapter seven is in the bag!

I wasn't intending to put this chapter out so quickly, but, all the reviews for last chapter forced my hand. I mean, really! Ten reviews in two days! That's a lot for the One Piece community! Y'know, if this kept up, I might just keep posting chapters as soon as I'm done with them if that kind of rate keeps up… you know, getting ten reviews… 'Hint hint' otherwise, I'll keep to my regular idea of posting a week after the last chapter with five reviews. 'Hint hint'

Five reviews get you the next chapter of The Will of D!

Review. You know you want to.


	8. Mockery Of A Battle

Number eight. Bon appetit!

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Disclaimer: I finally bought One Piece! WHOO! 'Lawyers with iron bats appear' okay, okay, maybe not…

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"Nami." Luffy stepped out of the captain's quarters, immediately going for the navigator, who was laying on the ground, looking at wanted posters. "I need to talk to you." she covered up the wanted posters swiftly and stood up.

"Yes, captain?" Luffy looked down at the posters. A 20,000,000 bounty tag was sticking out. He smiled sadly.

"You were looking at Arlong's poster." Nami went pale. "I know that you're in his crew, remember? Back when we first met?" Nami looked down, afraid to meet her captain's eye. "It's okay, Nami. I trust you." Nami still did not look up. Luffy straightened up. "I have a job for you to do, Nami."

"Yes?" she asked while still looking at her shoes.

"I need you to steal the ship." Nami's head whipped up.

"What!" Luffy nodded.

"Yeah. I need you to steal the ship. We've been here for two days, and I'm getting a bad feeling. Something big is going to happen here, and I don't want the ship damaged. I need you to steal the ship and head off wherever you want." He lowered his voice. "You can use the treasure on the ship as well." Nami's hand went up to her mouth, eyes trembling. "You still need to pay off Arlong, right?" he smiled. "I can't let your village stay in slavery to him just because you're going to help me become king of the pirates!"

"You…"

"Don't tell anybody about this. We need them all thinking that you suddenly turned traitor to us, and that you sailed off with the ship to Arlong Park with all the treasure. Because then, there's no chance that anybody will let it slip that you're completely loyal to us." Nami was frozen, before gripping Luffy in a fierce hug, sobbing against his chest. Luffy merely held her close.

"Thank you… thank you…" she cried, shaking in his grip. "Thank you…" Zoro pushed himself off the wall to the men's quarters, having heard every word they said. So, his captain was having his navigator steal his own ship. And their navigator was a part of fish-man Arlong's crew. Luffy knew so much more than he was telling them. So many questions, and so few answers… when would it all end? Zoro ruffled his clothes and walked out of the men's quarters, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"YAAWWWWN! Morning, captain, Nami. Shouldn't you be off to work yet, Luffy?" Luffy grinned at how strange that sounded to be saying that to a pirate.

"Yeah. I should get going. You coming too, Zoro?" Zoro smoothed out the wrinkles in his outfit.

"Yeah. I could use some good breakfast." Zoro walked along the gangplank with Luffy into the restaurant, with Nami just staring at Luffy's retreating back, a strange feeling building in her heart.

'Is this… hope? Or…'

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The crash of a wine glass echoed around the restaurant. "Krieg's pirates!" the entire restaurant rushed to the window where the flagship of the great pirate was seen. "The hourglass beside the skull means that time has run out for their enemies! There's no mistake! It's Krieg's pirates!" Luffy looked up from the table whose meal he had just placed.

"Zoro… I knew something was going to happen today." Zoro looked up, his new meal ignored.

"That's why you told Nami to take the ship and leave, right?" Luffy's head whipped around. "Don't worry. A true swordsman has a fine control on the things he knows. The rest of the crew will never find out from me." Luffy nodded.

"Very well. Let's go get Sanji from the kitchen. He'll want to see this." Zoro looked at the rubber man oddly. "He's our new chef. I can feel it."

"Another hunch?" Luffy nodded. Zoro chuckled. "Your hunches are getting to be notorious throughout the crew. If you get a hunch about something, it will happen without fail. How do you do it?" Luffy shrugged.

"It's a gift. Now, let's go." Luffy pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen. Sanji was there, practicing his art. "Sanji. It looks like Gin brought back friends." Sanji nodded. "I'll bet they're in the same condition he was in. get a meal for one, to start. He'll bring in the captain first." Sanji nodded again.

"I'll get on it, straw hat." Luffy turned and walked out of the kitchen, to see Gin and Krieg pleading on the ground.

"Please… I beg you! Leftover rice… anything!" Luffy drew his hand out of his pocket and flicked a gold coin at Patty's head.

"They're paying customers, Patty. Get to work." Patty threw the coin on the ground and spat on it.

"You go too far, chore boy. That's Don Krieg, the most wanted pirate in the east blue. We're not feeding him a scrap."

"Out of the way, Patty!" Sanji smashed the burly cook's face into the ground before approaching the groveling pirates. "They're paying customers, Patty. Do you mean to refuse them?" he held out the plate. "Here, Gin. He can eat this." Krieg immediately snatched the plate away and began stuffing his face.

"Thank you!" Carne pointed an accusing finger at Sanji.

"Sanji! Take that food away from him! Don't you know who he is!"

"I don't care if he's foul-play Krieg or the king of the pirates. The Baratie prides itself on not refusing paying customers." Luffy interjected. "I've only worked here for two days, and I already know this." Sanji walked over to Luffy.

"I agree with the chore boy. Even without his generosity, the man would have paid." Krieg finished his mad scramble for food and stood up.

"The food was good. My strength is returning. Thank you, straw hat." Luffy tipped his hat. Krieg grinned. "It's a real nice restaurant. I'll take it." Gin gaped at his captain, clearly not knowing about this new development. Luffy shook his head.

"Now, what kind of thanks is that? We feed you and then you steal our ride? That's not very nice."

"My flagship is a wreck. When I'm finished with you, I'll dump you." he gestured out to the massively scarred galleon. "There are about one hundred men on my ship who still draw breath. They're dieing from wounds, hunger and thirst. They need 100 rations of food and water. You will prepare them. Some of them have starved to death. There is no time to waste."

"You expect us to feed one hundred pirates! So they have the strength to take over our ship! We refuse!" Krieg did not move an inch.

"Refuse? You don't understand. It's not a request." His eyes turned murderous. "It's an order! Do not defy me!" Gin turned to his captain.

"Captain! You said we were just coming here for the food! You said you wouldn't!" Krieg smashed Gin to the ground. Gin spat out blood.

"quiet." Sanji and Luffy turned and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Sanji! Chore boy! You got us into this mess!" Patty turned around and saw them retreating. "Where are you going?"

"To the kitchen, of course." Sanji said, as if he was pointing out the weather.

"We've got a hundred meals to prepare." Luffy stated. The pistol of every cook in the room was instantly trained on them. Luffy shook his head. "Are you people truly cooks? Because cooks feed people. They do not judge them." Luffy spread his arms wide. "If you want to stop us…"

"Then shoot us." Sanji finished. The cooks flinched. Patty and Carne didn't. With a quick swing of their fists, the two were down on the ground, laid low.

"Hold them down." Patty walked away from the two downed men. "Sanji, I know you feed the men that I chase off. Maybe you're right to do that sometimes. But this time, you're wrong! And chore boy! You've helped these scoundrels as soon as you got here. I don't know why, but it stops now! Now you two keep still! I'm going to defend this restaurant!" he turned to Krieg. "He may be Don Krieg, but he's just one man! He can't beat all of us!" he picked up a large cannon of some sort. "This is Baratie! We deal with rowdy pirates every day. And we know just what customer service to give them!" he leveled the cannon at the silent pirate. "You've eaten! Now here's your dessert! **The meatball of doom!**"

"impudence." Krieg muttered as the cannonball struck him dead on. Patty drew up the cannon.

"Blast. I busted the doors."

"And for nothing. Do you really think that you're the first person to point a cannon at Krieg? He's got steel armor." Luffy stated matter-of-factly.

"You're correct, straw hat!" Krieg walked out of the smoke and ruined doors. "That dessert was a bit heavy for my tastes. Hardly a four-star meal."

"Steel armor! What a dirty trick! Rush him!"

"**INSOLENCE!" **Krieg roared as guns appeared from out of nowhere on his armor. The resulting bullets tore through the rushing cooks like rice paper. Gin cringed down on the ground, wishing it was all a bad dream. "No one defies Krieg, you worthless scum! I am stronger than anyone!"

"Arms of steel, stronger than any flesh!" he flexed his arm. "A carapace of the strongest wootz steel! Diamond fists to demolish anything! And a built-in array of weapons! I command fifty ships and 5,000 fighting men! I've never lost a battle! I am the don of the pirate armada! **If I tell you to prepare food, you shut up and do it! NO ONE DEFIES ME!"**

Clunk! A huge bag plopped down in front of Krieg. Zeff crossed his arms.

"Chef Zeff!"

"There's food for a hundred. Take it to your men." Don Krieg's eyes widened.

"Zeff…did you say Zeff?"

"Chef! What're you thinking! If we feed those pirates, they'll come and overrun us!" Luffy stepped up.

"Doubtful. They're all spineless cowards." The cooks reeled. "You went to the grand line… but you came back here with your tail between your legs."

"The tyrant of the eastern seas, who commands fifty pirate ships, couldn't handle the grand line." Krieg stared.

"You're 'red shoes' Zeff!" he stared, then seemed to affirm his own claim. "'Red shoes' Zeff. So you're alive. A unique pirate, the captain-cook." Zeff shrugged.

"So what if I'm alive? What's it to you? Now I'm a chef exclusively." Krieg laughed.

"Ha! You say it like it was a choice. But did you **choose **to be a cook… or was being a pirate too much for you?" he glanced down at the peg leg. "Looks like your red shoes days are over." He looked around. "They say you died at sea. I see you didn't lose your life… but you did lose one of your precious legs." Zeff held up his hands.

"I can't fight anymore, but I can cook, as long as I have these two hands. What are you getting at? Spit it out."

"He probably wants your logbook, boss. He wants to know how you sailed the grand line for a year and returned unscathed." Zeff looked at Luffy.

"I won't give my logbook to you. For me and the men who sailed with me, that logbook is a testament. I won't give it to the likes of you!"

"Then I'll take it from you! It's true that I didn't succeed on the grand line! But I am Don Krieg, the mightiest of them all! Weaklings do well to shun that dark route. But I had plenty of strength! Men and ships! And ambition! The only thing I lacked was _knowledge_! That's what stopped me!" Luffy snorted.

"and you had shitty bad luck going in. tell me, how was it that you were destroyed utterly in seven days?" the entire room reeled back at the fact that Don Krieg and his mighty pirate armada was destroyed in seven days. "Oh, yeah! That's right! You interrupted Dracule Mihawk's nap!" Zoro's head whipped up. "All the knowledge in the world can't help you if you have the worst luck in the world." Don Krieg leveled his fist at him, all gun barrels on him rippling.

"INSOLENCE!" all the guns fired, aiming at Luffy.

"CHORE BOY!" all the cooks in the vicinity yelled as Luffy took the bullets head on. An entire round of fire punctured into him. Luffy pitched forward… and stomped his foot on the ground. The restaurant watched with horrified fascination as the lumps that were the bullets traveled through his body and into his hand. Luffy flicked one up in the air.

"I believe these are yours. Why don't I return them?" Luffy clenched his fist, and the lumps that were the bullets flowed under the skin and into his mouth. Luffy took in a deep breath… and _fired. _The bullets sprayed out at lightning fast speed like a shotgun firing. The small pellets smashed into Don Krieg and sent him rolling ass-over-teakettle out of the restaurant. The cooks were dead silent, before breaking out into raucous cheering.

"Chore boy! How'd you do that!" "The hired help is a fighting machine!" "The chore boy sent Don Krieg flying!" "Three cheers for the chore boy!" Luffy grabbed the bag of food and started carrying it out to the ship. "Chore boy! Where are you going?"

"To feed the crew. They are still starving." The chefs stopped cheering immediately.

"You idiot! We've got the captain on the run! Why would we feed his crew so they can take over?" Zeff smashed his peg leg on the ground.

"Shut up, you stupid eggplants!" the cooks all turned to him. Has any of you truly been hungry before? Have you gone for days without food and water on the high seas? Do you have any idea what agony that is?"

"Because chef Zeff and Sanji know. They know it perfectly well." Luffy spoke. "It's why they, along with myself, were the only ones here that were willing to help the pirates that are going to overrun this restaurant. Because they know what they went through." Gin sat on the ground, crying.

"I'm sorry, Sanji… chore boy… I had no idea it would come to this… he said he was just coming for food…" Luffy walked out of the door.

"It's not your fault, Gin. He's foul-play Krieg. He'll deceive anybody that he wants, if it furthers his ambitions. He's the kind of pirate that gives the rest of us honorable pirates a bad name." Luffy crouched down, and _leaped _all the way up to the ship. The moaning pirates laying about turned their heads to him and reached for their cutlasses, but flinched back as hunger pains overtook them. Luffy started handing out platters of food. "Eat. I don't care if you're going to overrun this restaurant. It's a restaurant first and foremost." The entire crew scrambled to Luffy and the plates of food. With disgusting speed, the crew gulped the whole mess down. "There. You full?"

"AH-ROOOOO!" the pirates howled. WE'RE SAVED!" they started dancing. "We're back from the brink!" "It's a miracle!" "We've escaped our doom!" "The nightmare is over!"

"So. Is it truly your intention to take over the Baratie and sail back to the grand line?" all movement on the ship halted with those words. Luffy shrugged. "Because that's what your captain said in the Baratie."

"Return? To certain death!" one of the men screeched. Immediately, Gold Roger's voice echoed in Luffy's head.

'Boy, this could be a chance to earn another member of the armada.' Luffy said nothing, the idea having occurred to him the same time it did to roger.

"Really? Because he said that once he had taken over the Baratie, and obtained chef Zeff's logbook, he would return to the grand line!" the crew roared with disapproval. Luffy shook his head in sadness. "It's a shame, really. Doesn't he know that only the men with devil fruit powers truly make it in the grand line?"

"Devil fruit!" Luffy nodded.

"Uh-huh. You know the Shishibukai? Six out of seven of them have devil fruit powers. Now, that, to me, says something." Luffy placed his finger to his chin. "Let's see, who was the guy with no devil fruit powers? Oh yeah, Dracule Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world. The man with the eyes of a hawk, that could kill you with a single glance." The entire crew erupted into panicked screams. Luffy looked up, feigning surprise. "Oh, you know Dracule Mihawk?"

"He's the man who scuppered all of our ships!" Luffy nodded.

"There, you see? Do you really think that your captain could stand up to a guy like that, when he doesn't even have a devil fruit?" the entire crew trembled. "I'll take that as a no. but, do you want to know something?" he leaned in. "my childhood friend regularly has duels with him, and sometimes wins." The crew reeled back. Luffy nodded self-assuredly. "And I learned some fighting techniques from him! I could protect you from Dracule Mihawk, if you joined me!"

"How do we know you're not lying?" a stubborn pirate yelled from the crowd. Luffy thought for a moment.

"If I beat your captain, you will know that I'm stronger than him, right? And that I'm not lying! If I defeat your captain, that's proof that I can protect you from Dracule Mihawk!" the crew murmured. One of the pirates, clearly the spokesman, stepped forward.

"This deal stinks to high heaven, straw hat, but we agree. If you can beat Don Krieg, we'll join you under your protection from Mihawk." The man shivered. Luffy nodded.

"Very well, then. The pact is made." Luffy ran to the rail and leaped back down to the restaurant.

"You're getting too good at this, Luffy. Pretty soon you'll be able to convince the devil himself he was a pious believer in god." Luffy snorted.

"That's doubtful, roger." He strolled back into the restaurant. Don Krieg pulled himself up onto the deck of the boat, water dripping off his carapace of steel. The crew stared at the man with strange eyes that the don had never seen before.

"What are you all standing around for! Let's dump this wreck and board the restaurant ship! A bunch of hooligan cooks can't stop us!" the crew screamed their battle cry, without any real fire in it. Luffy whirled about, drawing his sword. Kuro pulled on his bladed gloves and slouched beside him. Zoro walked up to behind Luffy, shivering with displeasure.

"That lying…" Zoro unsheathed his three blades.

"Don't blame Johnny. He'll be right after all. Dracule Mihawk is not a man who would leave a job half-done." Zoro looked at his captain with a piercing glare.

"I hope you're right. For his sake." Luffy merely started counting.

"Three… two… one." The massive galleon split into two halves, which fell into the sea. Luffy grinned. "I am right."

"Don Krieg! The ship! IT'S LISTING!" one of the Don Krieg pirates yelled.

"Listing? My flagship galleon! But… how could that be?" Zoro leaped up.

"Nami, Johnny and Yosaku were on the ship!" Luffy ran out to the outside, to see the two bounty hunter brothers paddling in the choppy surf.

"Brother! BROTHER!"

"Where are the ships!" Kuro ran out the other side, yelling to Django to weigh anchor, get out of the debris zone.

"The… the Going Merry… it's gone!" Yosaku cried, swallowing a mouthful of water. "Sister Nami! She sailed off with all the treasure!"

"WHAT!" Usopp screamed. Zoro looked at Luffy sharply. Luffy nodded slightly. Zoro nodded.

"Find a dinghy that we can commandeer. Get it ready to chase after her." Luffy looked out into the fog, where a silhouette was already forming. "But keep it tethered. I think Zoro still has some business to take care of here." Zoro's head whipped around and looked in the direction that Luffy was looking. A slow, feral grin crept up his face.

"Dat's him? The fiend who sank fifty ships, single handedly!" "The one who blasted Krieg's ship just now!" "He looks human enough… I don't see any special weapon…" the chefs muttered. Zeff shook his head, his braided mustache wobbling.

"His special weapon is on his back!" the entire assembly, sans Zoro and Luffy, flinched back. "Hawk-eye is a master swordsman. He is the greatest swordsman in the world!" the entire Krieg crew stared at the demon in human flesh. A nameless crewmember stood up.

"You monster! Why do you keep picking on us!" Dracule peered up at the man, silent for a few moments.

"For fun."

"FOR FUN!" the terrified man pulled out double pistols and unloaded the entire capacity at him. Dracule, with slow, deliberating movements, drew the giant sword on his back and swung it. The bullets shot harmlessly upward.

"What! You… missed!"

"No. shooting at him is useless." Zoro said from above the crouching pirates. "He deflected the bullets with his sword." He walked toward Mihawk. "I've never seen such subtle sword work."

"Without subtlety, a sword is just an iron bar." Dracule replaced the obsidian blade with a quiet click.

"You split this galleon with that sword?"

"Of course." Zoro grinned.

"I see. Then you are the greatest. I went to sea to find you!"

"Why?" Zoro tied the sash around his forehead.

"To be the greatest." He drew a sword and pointed it at the vampiric-looking master. "Looking for some fun? Then fight me."

"The three-sword style! That's Zoro! That's Roronoa Zoro!" the Krieg pirates gasped at this new revelation.

"Pathetic. Weakling." Dracule leaped out of the boat and onto the galleon wreckage. "If you're a competent swordsman, you don't need to cross swords to know that I far surpass your puny skills. Does the courage to point that blade at me come from confidence… or from ignorance?" Zoro drew all three swords.

"It comes from ambition. And from a promise to a friend."

"How futile." Mihawk pulled the necklace from around his neck and uncapped the dagger inside.

"What's that for?" a vein in Zoro's head twitched.

"I'm not the kind of fool who hunts a rabbit with a cannon. You may have a reputation but you're still just a bunny." He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, but this is the smallest knife I have."

"Better take it easy with the bravado!" Zoro snarled and charged. "YOU'LL FEEL STUPID WHEN I KILL YOU!" Mihawk merely stood there, fiddling with the small dagger in his hand.

"You're just a little frog, croaking in your puddle. Time you learned how big the world is." Zoro screamed.

"Oni GIRI!" Dracule merely stuck out the dagger and blocked the entire attack, holding all three swords pinned together. Zoro trembled, stuck with the fact that the greatest swordsman in the world blocked the unblockable onigiri. "RAAAAAAR!" Zoro whaled on Dracule, with the swordsman master blocking every single attack. With a flick of his arm, Zoro was sent flying.

"Such heavy-handed swordplay…" Mihawk said calmly as Zoro sliced endlessly against him.

"I came to win!" Zoro yelled as he continued his furious barrage. "I must defeat this man!" Dracule stared at him oddly.

"What drives you? Why do you fight so hard when you cannot win? You're a weakling…"

"OUR BROTHER'S NOT A WEAKLING, BUZZARD EYE!" Yosaku yelled across the water.

"I'll teach you a lesson. That man is-" Luffy grabbed the two's cloaks and yanked them back.

"Stay out of this , you two! This is his duel!" Luffy smashed their heads down, tears in his eyes because he already knew how this mockery of a battle would end. The greatest swordsman knocked away the pirate bounty hunter. Zoro leaped up.

"Tiger…"

'The greatest swordsman in the world! The pirate king needs him… he has to join my crew!' Luffy's voice echoed in his mind.

"HUNT!" Zoro leaped forward… and was impaled on the dagger. Luffy bit back a scream as Yosaku and Johnny shrieked. Zoro stood there, impaled on the cross-like dagger. Dracule felt his confusion mounting. A drop of blood fell to the planks.

"You want your guts cut out? Why don't you retreat?" Zoro trembled.

"I can't… if I retreat even one step… my vow, my ambition… everything I care about… will be shattered. And all my dreams will be lost forever." Zoro said with a trembling voice, the sword in his mouth twitching with every word.

"Yes. That's defeat." Zoro chuckled.

"Heh. So I guess I can't retreat." Dracule's head cocked to the side just the tiniest fraction.

"Even if it means death?"

"I prefer death to defeat." Dracule Mihawk thought for one second, before withdrawing the dagger in Zoro's chest.

"Boy… speak your name."

"Roronoa Zoro." Dracule placed a hand on the sword strapped to his back.

"I'll remember it. It's been a while since I've met one so brave." He drew the obsidian ship-splitting blade. "I will honor the swordsman's code and send you to your death with this black blade – the finest in the world." The green-haired swordsman placed his fists together and started twirling them. "DIE!

"Three sword style – secret move! THREE THOUSAND WORLDS!" the black blade sliced through the two blades like they were cardboard. Zoro sheathed his remaining sword and bared his front to the world.

"What are you…" Zoro smiled, blood running down from his mouth.

"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame."

"magnificent." Dracule Mihawk grinned, and sliced Zoro open from shoulder to hip.

"ZORO!" Luffy screamed. "DAMN YOU!" Luffy threw out his arm and latched onto an intact rail on the debris. "DAMN YOU!"

"The straw hat has the powers of the devil fruit!" the Don Krieg pirates gaped. 'He said that only devil fruit users could possibly survive on the grand line! He is one!' Zeff sucked in a short breath.

'That's no water man. Impossible…' "Two!"

"The young swordsman's crewmate. You did well to let him fight his own battle to the end!" Dracule stepped to the side, and Luffy sailed into the wood harmlessly. Within seconds, Luffy was free of the wooden trap and laying on his back. "Don't worry. I left him alive." Luffy whirled around. There was Yosaku and Johnny on the supply boat, trying to revive Zoro.

"My name is Dracule Mihawk! It's too soon for you to die." He called out to Zoro. "Discover yourself. See the world! And grow strong, Zoro! However long it may take… I shall await you at the top. Strive with your whole heart and mind to best this blade, fierce one!"

"STRIVE TO SURPASS ME, RORONOA ZORO!"

"Brother! Brother, Speak to us!" Johnny and Yosaku attempted to stem the flow of blood.

"Lad, what's your goal?" Dracule Mihawk turned to Luffy.

"To be king of the pirates!" Mihawk smiled to himself.

"You tread a dangerous path. Even more perilous than trying to surpass me." Luffy stuck out his tongue.

"I don't care! That's what I'm going to be!" Luffy thought for a moment, before drawing out the Kronos hourglass. "Besides, I've done it before. You are an honorable Shishibukai, so I will show you this." He said in a smaller voice. Dracule took one look at the artifact in his hand, and flinched back.

"The hourglass of Kronos…" he bellowed out a hearty laugh. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Well done, lad! You've got a priceless artifact, and you use it for good!" he smiled. "Do not fear, young king of the pirates. Your secret is safe with me. How bad was it?"

"The entire world government became corrupt, and my whole crew was slaughtered at Raftel." Dracule nodded, before he looked over at Zoro.

"And the swordsman?" Luffy just smiled. "I see. My heart is glad. I have a worthy successor. The government becomes corrupt, you say? I shall remember that."

"Say in a loud voice that you shall leave my crew and any crew under the command of Monkey D. Luffy alone. As a favor." Dracule smirked when Luffy jerked his head at the fearful looks from the crew of the self-proclaimed king of the east blue.

"Trying to gain subordinates, straw hat? That's an underhanded tactic of yours." He jerked his head up. "It would be poor honor to attack Roronoa Zoro while he is still working to defeat me! I shall leave any crew that sails under the captain of Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy in peace!" the crew of Don Krieg muttered amongst themselves. It was just as the straw hat had said! The demon with hawk's eyes would leave them alone if they join him! The sound of a blade unsheathing alerted the master swordsman's attention.

"Lu-Luffy…? Can you… hear me?"

"I can hear you!" Luffy yelled over.

"Were you worried? If I fail… to become the world's swordsman… you'd be disappointed, right?" a spurt of blood cut off anything he was going to say after that.

"Brother!" "Brother, save your breath!" the two brother bounty hunters urged.

"Never again! I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!" the sword trembled. Dracule grinned. "From now to the day I beat him to become the greatest swordsman… I will never… LOSE AGAIN!" Luffy smiled. "Got a problem with that, king of the pirates!" Luffy couldn't help but laugh at the happiness he felt.

"Hee hee hee hee! Not at all!" Mihawk smiled softly.

"They make a good team." He turned and walked away. "I hope to meet you two again, someday… goodbye, king of the pirates…"

"Hey, Hawkeye!" Don Krieg stomped his foot to get his attention. "Didn't you come here for my head? For the head of Don Krieg, king of the east blue!" the swordsman shook his head.

"That was my intention. But now I've had enough fun for now, so I shall take a nap."

"Don't just go yet, fancy pants! You've had your fun, but I've only been on the receiving end." The crew scrambled away.

"d-d-Don Krieg!" a pirate screamed. "If the man wants to go, for the love of god, let him go!" the armored man ignored them.

"Now it's my turn to have fun! DIE!" Dracule placed a hand on his blade.

"You are indeed a slow learner." With a downward slice and a giant plume of water, he was gone. "Farewell."

"Usopp! Set sail!" Kuro leaped in after the boat, and was quickly on board.

"I'll watch them, captain!" Luffy nodded. With a quick slice of rope, the sail was full of air, and chasing after the rapidly disappearing ship. "Get the cook to join, and we'll meet up with Nami!"

"RIGHT!" Sanji strolled up to Luffy's side, hands in his pockets.

"Here come the locusts." Luffy nodded.

"Try not to kill any of them. Don Krieg is the mastermind behind all of this. They're just following his orders. I've got a deal with them that if I can take out Krieg, they'll join up with me." Sanji looked over at Luffy. "Hey. They don't like Krieg's policies. I played on their fear of Dracule Mihawk and the fear that Don Krieg will drive them right back into his grip." Sanji nodded.

"You're a devious little brat, chore boy." Luffy turned to Zeff.

"Hey! Boss! If I help save the restaurant, can I stop being a chore boy?"

"What? Of course. It won't matter if I say no, because they'll be no restaurant left." The rubber man pumped his fist.

"YES!" he cracked his knuckles, his adrenaline pumping. "Let's fight!"

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And… done! Chapter eight is done!

The next chapter is going to be full of rough-em-up action where there is some major ass-kicking. Stay tuned for the excitement!

Five reviews get the next chapter of The Will of D! And ten gets the story out as soon as it's done! (which may be a while. My grades are abysmal, and I'm expecting my parents to confiscate my laptop any day now. Or, maybe they won't. I dunno.)

Oh, and P.S… Monkey D. Conan. HOLY SHIT, MAN! Are you a mind reader or something! Did you hack my computer and read all the story ideas or something! Jesus Christ, that's scary! Don't do that, man! You'll give me gray hairs before my time!

Review. You know you want to.


	9. MH5

And, the ninth chapter of The Will of D is done!

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Disclaimer: 'hypnotist appears' you will give One Piece to The Animaniac Dude…

(Eiichiro oda) I will give One Piece to- no I won't! (me) dammit!

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Luffy grinned at the assembly of pirates. "somebody bring down the fin. I want somewhere that I can go wild on without destroying the restaurant completely. The crap-geezer would howl if we trashed the place." Sanji chuckled.

"I like your style, chore boy. you!" he jerked a thumb at a cook. "get to the control room. The chore boy's got the point." The cook ran into the restaurant. Sanji looked over at another. "where are Patty and Carne?"

"ready and itching to go! Those two are great at times like these!" Sanji nodded.

"but only at times like these…" he looked to where Luffy was, only to find him gone. "chore boy?"

"I'll thin out the ranks!" Sanji stared at the impossibly stretched arms attached to the railing, as Luffy ran into the restaurant. "Gomu Gomu ROCKET!" with a snap of a rubber band, Luffy was in the air and flying towards the wreckage of the galleon. "AND! GIANT SCYTHE!" the long arms swept through the pirates, knocking them all into the water. Luffy quickly latched onto the half-sunken mast in front of him.

"go chore boy!" the cooks cheered. Don Krieg snorted.

"so kind of you to come out in open water, where you can't move freely." He whipped out a giant spiked mace. "say good bye, straw hat!" the mace crunched into the mast. Don Krieg whipped it around and smashed it into the rapidly falling Luffy, sending him flying. Luffy let go of the portion of mast and landed gracefully on a piece of the scuttled galleon.

"so kind of you to help me out of the open water, where I can move freely again." Don Krieg gritted his teeth. Luffy looked over at the rapidly approaching fish head. "when did the mackerel head detach?"

"a few seconds ago." Sanji spoke as they watched the odd-looking gunboat rapidly approach the pirates. With a blaze of cannons, the pirates were sent flying. "though I have a bad feeling about this."

"me too." They watched with passive interest as the don sent the gunboat flying directly at the restaurant. "I guess we were right." Sanji nodded.

"stand back." Sanji leaped up and kicked the underside of the fish head, sending it back into the water. "those shit-cookers… they'll destroy the restaurant."

"Sanji! Are you trying to kill us!" Patty and Carne screamed as they climbed out of the fish head.

"…yes."

"YOU IDIOT! You were going to destroy a piece of military power!" Sanji inhaled on his cigarette.

"you shit-heads. You were going to destroy the restaurant." Luffy nodded.

"besides, your time is better spent fighting off the small fries. The good fighters will take out Krieg."

"you think that a bunch of hooligan cooks can stop us! We're pirates! We fight for a living!" one of the pirates in the crowd said as they laughed at the downed chefs in front of them.

"damn… they're too strong…"

"you wusses! Are you fighting cooks or not! Fight for the Baratie!" patty grabbed one of the massive battle forks. Carne picked up a knife from a fallen chef. "TASTE THE POWER OF SEA COOKS!" the two charged into the fray, cutting a swathe into the ranks.

"yikes! They're like demons!" a pirate said. And indeed, they were fighting demons. Until a punch sent them both flying. Invincible Pearl struck a pose.

"Patty! Carne! Are you all right!"

"of course they're not all right! They were on the receiving end of my 'pearl surprise!'" pearl grinned. Luffy looked over at Sanji.

"oh, look. Another freak. And I thought that this crew would be relatively normal." Pearl continued, nonplussed.

"I'm Don Krieg's second mate! Invincible pearl! In over 61 battles to the death, I've never lost one drop of blood! and I'm handsome, too!" he smiled, his teeth shining like his namesake. "and I'm smoother than polished silver!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.

"you said that in sixty one battles, you've never lost one drop of blood. let's break that record, shall we?" Luffy charged in. pearl laughed.

"impossible! My defense is the best!" Luffy swung with a right hook, only to pull back and smash his right knee into Pearl's face. Both attempts were blocked by the pearly guards. "you may have made that deal with us, straw hat. But we are still loyal to the don! We will fight to the death for him!" he whispered as Luffy hung there, defying gravity for those few seconds.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Pearl pushed away the still-airborne boy as he finished his message. Luffy landed on his feet. Luffy leaped up and drop-kicked pearl's head. The man's head snapped down. A thin stream of blood trailed down from his mouth, from pearl having bit his tongue. The crew of Don Krieg exploded into a panic.

"Pearl! It's okay! It's just bitten tongue! It's not like it's a battle wound!" Luffy landed on the fin, a smug look on his face.

"What are they panicking about? It's just a bitten tongue." Sanji asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Pearl was raised in the jungle. He developed a self-defense mechanism to drive off the jungle animals. Whenever he sees his own blood, he lights up like a bonfire." Sanji jerked his head up at the hyperventilating man in front of him, shock and panic written on his face.

"DANGER! DANGER!" Pearl screamed as he pounded his fists together, the sparks lighting himself on fire like some grim vision from hell.

"Shit! If those flames reach the galley, this whole ship will go up!" Luffy rushed in, along with Sanji. Sanji leaped over the flames and attempted a repeat drop kick, only for Pearl to block it.

"What are you doing! Not even jungle animals would try and jump those flames!" Pearl yelled. Sanji took a drag on his cigarette.

"Moron. You can't be a cook if you're afraid of fire." Pearl growled.

"Damn! This one's smooth as polished silver!" Luffy leaped in and grabbed the wrist of the fist pearl was drawing back. As quick as he had grabbed it, he let go and grabbed the other wrist. "The hell!" Luffy let go and grabbed Pearl's ankles. Luffy leaped out of the ring of fire, blowing on his hands.

"Damn, that hurt!" he looked up at Pearl. "Let's see you get out of that, Pearl." Luffy snapped his fingers. Four thick streams of water shot up out of the sea and latched onto Pearl where Luffy had grabbed. They hauled the struggling man into the air, immediately dousing the flames. Don Krieg gaped.

"What the hell are you!" Luffy blew on his hands some more.

"I ate the Mizu Mizu fruit. I'm a water man." Luffy's two arms melted, and reformed. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief. "Ahh, that's the good stuff right there." he looked at his palms. "Add that to the list of stuff this thing can do. Get rid of burns." Don Krieg growled.

"Damn you, straw hat!" with a whirl of his mace, an entire mast toppled down onto Luffy's skull. Luffy was smashed back into the timbers, crushed under the weight. Krieg leered. "You need to die."

"Of course. Everybody needs to die. I'm just not dieing for a long time." Luffy said as he materialized behind don Krieg. He prodded his neck with his sword. "Checkmate, don Krieg."

"Straw hat!" Gin shouted. "Let my captain go!" he pointed his pistol down at the fallen Zeff, wooden peg leg in his hand. "I'll blow his brains out if you don't." he jabbed it at the head chef's head, although his hand was trembling slightly.

"Gin! Why, you…" Luffy nodded and stepped away from the pirate captain.

"Sanji, let it go. He's doing whatever it takes to defend his captain. I applaud that." he looked Gin straight in the eye. "I wonder… does he have the courage to actually do it? Does he have the balls to splatter the brains of the man who literally saved his entire crew all over this deck? Because I would love to see him do that." Luffy grinned. "Do it, Gin. Prove to us that you are the 'demon man' of don Krieg's crew. Prove to us how you became first mate. Splatter his brains on the deck." Gin's hand trembled, before lowering just the tiniest fraction.

"DON'T TURN MY MEN AGAINST ME!" don Krieg screamed as the gun barrels rippled and fired at Luffy. He sighed.

"Mihawk was right. You are a slow learner." Luffy leaned back on the wood… and fell over the edge, into the dark blue waters of the sea. Almost immediately, Luffy breathed a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, the water strands holding pearl in the sky disappeared, and the bulky man dropped into the sea with a mighty splash. "There. Let them think that I'm dead." Luffy hummed a little tune, before shrugging. "Ah, well. Let's listen in." with a mere thought, his ear stretched out to the surface, and he began to listen. Almost immediately, the ear retracted. "Ah. Sanji's explaining his story. This could be a while."

"Yes. You seem to bring out the storyteller in people. Whenever you are around, people want to tell their story." Gold Roger formed in the water. "I'll keep you company."

"Thank you, roger." Luffy cocked his head. "y'know, it's a funny thing. I saw Zoro get so wounded like that before, and I knew it would be exactly the same as before, but when it happened, it felt like all my memories went flying out the window. Like I was seeing him almost die for the first time." Gold Roger looked up, alarmed.

:are you serious!" Luffy nodded. "Shit! I was afraid this would happen…"

"What? What would happen?"

"You have changed a lot of things throughout this entire trip. It is the entire reason we came here. However, no matter how much we may integrate into this new world, we are still a part of the original timeline. This is the only reason we keep our memories when we traveled back." Luffy nodded, not sure where this was going.

"However, this is a double-edged sword. In theory, if we change the timeline too drastically from the original way it was meant to run, that original timeline that holds our memories becomes skewed. Because of this skewing, the time traveler will eventually lose all of his memories of the original way things were meant to run." Luffy's eyes widened.

"You mean I'm going to forget everything!" Gold Roger nodded.

"In theory, yes. It is a very slow and very gradual process, which could probably take years to fully achieve, but yes, you will lose all of your memories of your previous life. If you continue to change the timeline, this is an undeniable fact." Luffy swore. "There is one glaring loophole, though."

"There is!" the king of the pirates nodded.

"Yes. People who are outside of the time stream are not affected at all." Luffy snorted.

"Oh, good. We can just go down to the convenience store down the road and pick one of those up."

"I am serious! People who were dead before the time-stream began to be altered are completely immune to this memory loss. I know for a fact you know one of these people personally." Luffy looked up.

"You! You're completely immune to the loss!" Gold Roger nodded.

"In theory." Luffy pumped his fist.

"Sweet! I can just give you all of my memories for safe-keeping and we're all good!" Gold Roger nodded.

"That is the best course of action. Now, start paying attention. They should be about done up there with Sanji's speech." Luffy nodded, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Yeah! Let's see if we can get some of them to shit their pants!" with a snap of his fingers, a tunnel from his mouth to the surface opened up. He smirked.

"I will protect this restaurant to the death!" Sanji declared. Don Krieg snorted, before freezing when a voice echoed out of the water.

"Duuuuuhhhhh dun." Luffy said, in a slow, ominous voice. "Duuuuuhhhhh dun."

"Chore boy!" the chefs of the Baratie cried out. Zeff looked up from where he was pinned to the ground. 'The chore boy…'

"Duuuuhhhh dun. Duuuuhhhh dun." Luffy intoned, slowly increasing the speed. With slow, precise moments, the straw hat floated to the surface and started floating through the water. "Duuuuhhhh dun. Duuuhhh dun."

"YOU! DIE!" don Krieg screamed, shooting a flamethrower at the hat floating through the water. A dome of water shot up around the hat, protecting the precious item.

"Duuuhhh dun. Duuhh dun. Duh dun duh dun duh dun duh dun duh dun duh dun DAH DAHDAH!" the voice screamed as a tentacle-ish hand shot out of the water, flying right at don Krieg. Don Krieg smashed the grasping hand out of the way, and the hand instead latched onto a nameless member of his crew. With a horrified scream, the crew member was swallowed whole by the waters. The entire assembly was silent. The body of the pirate floated up to the surface, foaming at the mouth and petrified into a near-coma. The crew stared with horror at the body. "Duuuuuhhhhh dun."

The crew of don Krieg exploded into terrified screams. "IT'S A SEA DEVIL!" "THE STRAW HAT CONTROLS THE KRAKEN!" "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" don Krieg yelled at the crew.

"STAND AND FIGHT, YOU COWARDS!" he whipped the giant mace down on the hat. The floating object swerved out of the way. With a swoosh, a water plume shot out of the water, depositing Luffy safe and sound on the fin of the Baratie.

"Straw hat!" Luffy tipped his hat to the chefs of the ocean-going restaurant. He then noticed pearl winding up for a punch.

"I thought I told you to go cool your heels, pearl." The tentacle-like strands of water shot out at pearl. The bulky man merely punched them head on as they disintegrated. "Damn! That's a good right hook there!"

"Damn! Your words are smooth as polished silver!" pearl wound up for his attack against Luffy.

"Step aside, pearl." Gin ordered as he swung his tonfa into pearl's cannonball-proof armor, shattering it into pieces. Pearl fell to the ground, bleeding from the mouth as Luffy tipped his hat to the newcomer.

"Glad to see you got involved, Gin."

"Gin, you swine! How dare you attack pearl!" Gin looked over at his captain.

"This man literally saved our lives. The least I can do is send him to the grave with my own hands." Luffy nodded.

"The mercy kill. He saved your life, so you won't drag out his death like pearl would have." He looked over at don Krieg. "Surely you have heard of this, Krieg?" Krieg growled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Have you gone insane, Gin, commander of the pirate armada?" Gin shook his head. He turned to Sanji, who had lit another cigarette.

"I had hoped you would get off the ship, Sanji. I can see not that that's not going to happen."

"No. it's not." Sanji shaded his smoke against the wind. Gin twirled his tonfa.

"Then the best I can offer you is to kill you myself."

Sanji sighed. "Thanks you… eat worms." Gin twitched, but turned to Luffy.

"And you too, straw hat. You should have left with your mates." Luffy shook his head.

"Why? I can't lose to a bunch of wimps like you!" the crew in the water seized up in rage. "Besides, I made a bet with someone here that I could kick all of your asses!"

"These blokes are gettin' sassy-mouthed with our battle commander! First it's 'eat worms', and now the brat says he can kick our asses! We're don Krieg's pirates, the toughest marauders on the east blue!" Luffy shrugged.

"Eh. You guys favor quantity over quality. You're only strong because there's so many of you." the entire crew was sent flying by the massive 'slap' to their pride.

"You hit them where it hurts." Sanji muttered.

"'cause it's true!"

"WE'RE GONNA START MASSACRING THESE COOKS NOW! WE'LL KILL 'EM TO DEATH!"

"Stand down!" the leader of the pirate armada shouted from across the water. "Getting worked up over being called wimps only acknowledges your weakness." He smirked. "The outcome will tell us who's strong and who's weak." Luffy nodded as the crew calmed down. "Boy. Of the two of us, who do you think is king of the pirates material?" Luffy smirked.

"Me."

"You just can't help yourself!" Patty screamed. The don's neck cracked.

"You dogs stay out of this." He grabbed the shoulder guard and pointed it at Luffy. "I'll show this dreamer of a kid what strength really is!"

"IT'S THE MH5!"

"P-please, Don Krieg, **not that! **Please, Don Krieg, let me kill the kid…"

"It doesn't matte by whose hand he dies. You know that above all, I detest sentimental tripe like 'honor' and 'mercy.' This is war! All that matters is victory! Winning is everything, even if it means using the poison gas cannonball!" the skull on the shield clunked open, revealing a hole just big enough for a single cannonball. Luffy nonchalantly plugged his nose with his finger.

"Meh. Give it your best shot. Cannonballs don't work on me." this only infuriated the man even further.

"DIE, YOU LITTLE SON OF A BITCH!" the cannonball fired out of the shield and straight at the floating restaurant. Luffy merely whistled a small tune.

"Three… two… one…" Luffy stomped his foot on the deck, and a plume of water shot out of the sea, catching the cannonball and plunging it into the sea. He peered into the water comically. "Wait a minute! The fish wouldn't like getting poisoned!" the same plume of water shot up again, and the cannonball landed, intact, on Luffy's index finger. He looked at Don Krieg. "Now, here's where things get fun!" Luffy grabbed his lower jaw and _pulled, _and the entire appendage popped off its hinge. "Loohk hwhat I chan dho!" he shoved the cannonball down his throat, swallowed, and popped his jaw back on. "Whew! That almost went down the wrong pipe!"

"What the hell!" the cooks stared at the man who literally, just ate a poison gas cannonball. Don Krieg shrieked in rage. Luffy grinned.

"Oh, I'm not done yet!" his arm melted into water, then reformed as a large, hollowed out tube. A massive bulge traveled across his body from his stomach to his arm, and into this strange tube. "Did you know, that if you can harness water pressure to a fine degree, you can use it almost to the same effect as a cannon?" Luffy grinned and cocked his arm. "I think you forgot something, Krieg! Why don't I give it back?" Luffy stared at his arm. "nah. Not pizzazz-y enough." Luffy tapped his chin with his intact arm, while Don Krieg worked himself into a lather over the blatant disrespect this upstart brat had. Luffy grinned and burst out laughing. "YES! Brilliant!" the cannonball flowed back into his stomach, and his regular arm reappeared. With a quick flick of his wrist, his pants were around his knees.

"EHHHH!" everybody there screamed. Luffy bent over and mooned Don Krieg.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE! MIZU GOMU BOMBER!" with an unholy boom, the cannonball fired out of Luffy's ass and into Don Krieg's face. Luffy buttoned up his pants again. "You should really get a face mask. Armor doesn't do any good if your face isn't covered up. Shuriken will really fuck with your looks without it."

"Chore boy!" Sanji stared. Gin did as well. "you just mooned Don Krieg, the strongest pirate in the east blue, before firing a cannonball out of your ass!" Luffy twirled his hat on his finger, a hand on his butt.

"Yeah. And I've got a feeling I'm going to be sore down there in the morning." He grinned. "But it was SO worth it!" Don Krieg lowered his shield, a small trickle of blood running down his face.

"Gin! Kill the cook! The straw hat brat is mine!" Gin nodded before charging in to battle with Gin. Luffy smiled.

"Very well. I'll give you a fighting chance." He leaped up onto the fallen mast and started running along it. Krieg merely held up his shield, and out opened a ring of holes inside. The self-proclaimed king of the east blue flicked a small bomb into the water. The bomb exploded, creating a veil of water. Luffy merely swept it away, as if wiping sweat from his brow. "That doesn't work on me!"

"DIE!" the ring of firing holes shot out striped stakes at him. Luffy shot up plumes of water from the sea, stopping each and every one in their tracks before being sucked into the sea. Luffy smirked.

"You're in my element. You can't beat me."

"YAAAAHH! GETTEM, GIN!" Luffy looked over at the two men brawling.

"You know what, Krieg? Let's postpone our battle. Let's watch our two crewmembers fight each other. That outcome isn't set in stone." Don Krieg attempted to continue to attack, but a cage of water shot out of the ocean and surrounded him. Luffy sat down beside him. "Don't even try to attack. This cage will immediately drown you if you do." Don Krieg growled. "And you know what? Zeff didn't have any secret to surviving on the grand line with the devil fruit users. He was simply stronger than them, even with their power." Don Krieg seethed, and didn't say a word. "Not talking? Oh well!" Luffy leaned backwards, and a watery cushion formed. "y'know, this is the real reason that I love this devil fruit power: I can have the most comfortable cushion anywhere I go." Luffy watched Sanji and Gin fight.

"Oh, wow! Sanji got in a good hit right there! but-" Luffy winced. "Ooh, that's a broken rib for Sanji. Ouch, cigarette in the eye for Gin. He won't be using that eye for a while. And… damn, that's another couple ribs for Sanji." Luffy winced. "Your man Gin is pretty good. But mine is better."

Sanji and Gin stood facing each other, Sanji clutching his side, Gin spitting out blood in his mouth. Gin rushed in, swinging his cannonball-ended tonfa. With a wide swipe that Sanji easily avoided, Gin went rushing by. "What! You missed on purpose!" Sanji brought his leg down on Gin's neck. "QUIT PLAYING AROUND!"

"I wasn't." Gin smashed the club-like bludgeons into the skirt-chasing chef's back. Sanji spat up blood and crumpled to the ground. Gin stood up, trembling. He gripped his tonfa harder. Luffy bit his lip. This was where the shit could hit the fan, and fast. Gin walked toward the prone chef, slowly swinging his tonfa.

"GIN WON! OUR BATTLE COMMANDER WON!" the Krieg pirates roared from in the water. Sanji rolled over, lying on his side.

'Cough' "you won, Gin. Do it. Finish the job." He whispered. Gin nodded. He swung the tonfa at the downed cook's head… and stopped centimeters away. Luffy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in a sharp hiss.

"I CAN'T DO IT! DON KRIEG!" Luffy smiled. With a wave of his hand, the cage was gone. Don Krieg shot up. Like a rocket, glowering hatred at both Gin and the straw-hatted rubber man. "I can't kill this man!"

"What did you say!" Gin clutched his face, trying to hold back the tears.

"'Cause I…"

"SAY THAT AGAIN IF YOU DARE!" Don Krieg roared at his battle commander.

"That was the first time in my life, that anyone was so kind to me! I… I can't kill this man!" Luffy beamed. Don Krieg shouldered his cannon-shield.

"Imbecile…"

"NO! DON KRIEG… YOU WOULDN'T!"

"You can't bring yourself to kill him? You disappoint me, Gin. I thought that you, of all my men, would faithfully execute the principles of Krieg's pirates." Gin slumped to his knees. "I named you commander of my pirate armada because of your strength and ruthlessness in the pursuit of victory. I believed that you were unsurpassed in these things!"

"I'm sorry, I would never betray you. And I don't regret anything I've done in your service. I respect your strength, and I thank you. But… this one person, I cannot kill! Is there any way, any at all…" he looked up, tears streaming down his face. "That this ship could possibly be spared!" Luffy smiled.

"The demon man has a heart. That will get him far in life." Krieg whipped his shield-cannon up, completely ignoring Luffy's words of wisdom.

It's inexcusable that you, my most trusted officer, should refuse to obey my order! WHAT MADNESS HAS POSSESSED YOU!" the Krieg pirates panicked and whipped out the gas masks.

"AAAH! THE MH5!" "Put your masks on!" "THIS TIME IT'S FOR REAL!"  
"Don Krieg!" Gin spread his arms wide. "These cooks saved our lives!"

"Drop your Gas mask, Gin." Krieg ordered his battle commander. "You are no longer part of my crew."

"What! But… don Krieg…"

"DROP THAT MASK!" Gin stared at the gas mask in his hand. Luffy growled. "Don't think I've forgotten about you either!" Krieg whipped around and fired the stakes at him. With a yelp, Luffy jumped into the water and swam over to the fin, out of his range. Luffy glared at the man.

"Gin! Don't obey that pansy Krieg! I'm gonna clobber him!" Sanji had regained control of his body enough to turn his head to stare at the straw hat chore boy.

"Chore boy…"

"DON'T BELITTLE DON KRIEG!" Gin shouted. "Don Krieg is he mightiest man alive. A runt like you could never defeat him." Sanji grabbed Gin's shoulder.

"Wake up, Gin! Your hero's trying to kill you!" Gin slapped his hand away.

"Of course. I'm a coward who let foolish sentiment get in the way of duty!" he tossed the gas mask into the water. "I DESERVE TO DIE!" Krieg immediately capitalized on the opportunity.

"**DEATHLY POISON GAS BOMB! MH5!"** the bomb shot out of the cannon-shield and at the Baratie. Luffy charged at two of the Krieg pirates.

"Mine!" he yanked their gas masks off as they dove into the water, no longer protected. Luffy charged at the two remaining men on the fin as the MH5 exploded into vapor.

The world stood still for five minutes as the poison gas hovered over the floating restaurant Baratie. The cooks resurfaced and looked around. "The gas is clearing. What happened?" a sudden gust of wind blew through the area, and the green gas was dispersed. What the men saw shocked them into silence.

"Chore boy! Get off of me!" Sanji struggled against the hired help's iron grip, alongside Gin, who was in the same position.

"CHORE BOY!" the cooks screamed. Luffy's skin was a sickly purple, and blood was leaking from his mouth. With a cough of blood, the captain of the Straw Hat pirates toppled to the side. Luffy placed a hand on his heart.

"Expel… gotta… expel…" Luffy coughed up blood. "It should… be in the… bloodstream now…" he clenched his fist, and a few drops of sickly purple liquids were sweated out of his skin, but no more would follow. Luffy looked up at the sun. 'Is this… the end…?' Don Krieg cackled.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The idiot's died for a man that was going to kill him! He's got little more than an hour left! This is true strength!" he cackled as the crew looked on in horror. Zeff looked on sadly.

"And there dies the last hope for our restaurant." The sky turned dark in an instant, with dark, ominous clouds rolling in from nowhere. The water turned choppy, roiling and boiling around the restaurant. A whirlpool formed off in the distance. Slowly, ever so slowly, the whirlpool reversed itself, so that the point was facing outwards. The ship and the debris, along with all the men in the water, began to be sucked towards it. And suddenly, the anti-whirlpool died, dropping out of sight. And where the middle of the anti-whirlpool would have been, a man was standing on the water. "What!"

The man slowly walked on the waves, towards the restaurant. Don Krieg stared at the man who appeared out of the whirlpool, the man who brought with him clouds and despair, the man who Don Krieg knew instinctively could crush him in an instant. The man stepped onto the wreckage of the fin. With slow, deliberate movements, he walked to the shuddering form of Luffy and laid a hand on his chest. The man who Don Krieg truly feared pushed, and a cascade of purple, sickly liquid shot out of his pores, with Luffy spasming beneath him. The man who Don Krieg feared flicked upward, and the purple water was filling his two hands. The Man of Fear pushed the two hands together, and the poison water slowly, ever so slowly, became smaller, smaller, ever so smaller, until finally, the poison water was about the size of a pill. The Man of Fear flicked it upward, and it became a solid. "Essence of MH5. Could be fun, having that." Zeff's eyes bugged out of his skull.

"Roger!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And boom, boom, boom, boom! It is done!

The twists! The turns! The intrigue! Gold Roger has taken the scene! What will he do? How will Luffy cover this up? And how does chef Zeff know him? find out, next chapter!

Remember, five reviews gets the next chapter, ten gets it ASAP! (though, same as before. The reason it's taken so long to post this is because I've had such restricted access to my computer.)

Review. You know you want to.


	10. True Strength

Wow! A lot of you apparently liked this last chapter, because I've gotten the ten reviews required for a speedy delivery in less than one day! The people have spoken, so, here is chapter ten!

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Disclaimer: if I owned One Piece I would brag about it to all my friends. Alas, I do not own it…

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"Roger!" the pirate king looked over at the master chef and nodded.

"Hello, Zeff. It's nice to see you after all these years." The blood in the cook's face could not have drained faster if you had slit his throat.

"But… you're dead!" the man grinned.

"I won't die!" he looked down at the teenager beneath him. "The king must make it to the coronation, Zeff. Do whatever you can to ensure that." Gold Roger picked up the prone body, and tossed it into the surf. "There. Give it some time, and that will heal him." it was then that Don Krieg regained his voice.

"w-who are you! Do you know who I am!" Gold Roger looked up at the pirate lord, a demonic look in his eyes. The don's breath froze in his throat. The crew around him passed out, completely unconscious.

"I know that you are a fraud that wishes for the treasure of the kings. I cannot allow that. Monkey D. Luffy is the rightful owner of that treasure." The man settled down into a strange fighting style, crouching down with his left leg spread out in front of him. "Come at me if you dare."

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" the don screamed as he fired the machine-gun stakes at the man in front of him, pure and unadulterated fear clouding any and all senses. Gin looked on in morbid fascination at the very first time that his captain truly seemed afraid. Gold Roger flipped around, kicking the boards beneath him. A thousand strands of water shot up out of the water, catching the flying stakes in midair. Quickly as they came, the stakes were gone, only for more to keep pouring in. the strands of sea continued to snatch them out of the air as easily and as fast as blinking, without a single projectile getting through this impervious defense. Don Krieg's eyes widened in horror as the machine gun sputtered out, out of stakes to fire. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!" Gold Roger looked up.

"I am… a ghost. A ghost that is no longer necessary." He added as waterspout shot out of the sea, turning at a forty-five degree angle and spitting a body out in front of his feet. Gold Roger hauled Luffy to his feet, before backhanding him across the face. "You idiot boy! I've taught you better than to let yourself be poisoned! You know how to purge it from your system!" Zeff's eyes widened in comic shock. Sanji looked up at the dumbfounded look on his boss' face.

"Zeff! Who is that man?" Zeff shook his head.

"Sanji… that man is dead. He's been dead for twenty two years." Sanji's eyes widened before crossing himself.

"Sweet and merciful god…"

"Yeah, well, you didn't use anything as potent as that stuff! Let's see you get five minutes of that in your system and then get out squeaky clean!" Luffy shouted back. Gold Roger drew his hand up to hit him across the face, but hesitated.

"I should not be doing this. Your enemies should." He looked at Don Krieg, who was frozen in place. "This should not have been my battle. Get back in there and fight." Luffy nodded.

"Roger!" Zeff snorted involuntarily. Gold Roger nodded before meting away into oblivion. Luffy twirled around. He grinned. "You said that I was a sea devil. You weren't too far from the truth." Don Krieg's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. Luffy cocked his arm. "Gomu Gomu PISTOL!"

WHAM! His fist smashed into the armor, glancing off harmlessly. Don Krieg looked down at the shining armor, before a nervous chuckle worked it's way up from his throat. Soon, that nervous chuckle evolved into full blown psychotic laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! It doesn't matter if you're the devil himself! You will never penetrate this armor!" the crew stared at their captain, who, from any way you looked at it, seemed to have been driven mad from fear. He had to be mad, to dare to laugh at this powerhouse in front of him. Luffy looked up, a dangerous glint in his eye. The breath in Don Krieg's throat caught.

"Is that a challenge?" Luffy grinned. "In that case, it would be rude of me to not fight to my full extent." He leaped over to Don Krieg, stretched out arms flailing behind him. "Gomu Gomu BAZOOKA!" the attack sent the don flying onto a large piece of intact ship wreckage, the golden armor completely whole. Luffy grinned. "There we go. There's enough room here for me to go crazy on." Don Krieg cackled.

"Try all you want, devil boy!" Luffy wound up for a punch. Don Krieg merely flipped out his cape, revealing the spike-lined interior. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Try punching through this, devil boy!" Luffy merely smashed through the cape and into the don's face. The lord of the east blue fell to the deck, completely still. The crew stayed silent, already knowing where this battle was going, whether their current leader won or lost. The cooks of the Baratie, on the other hand, went wild.

"WHOOOO! The chore boy sent Don Krieg flying!" Sanji merely shouted at Luffy.

"Why do you try so hard! That man's too strong!" Zeff placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That boy will win this fight. This is a known fact. Look. Even the pirates know this." He gestured out to the silent marauders. "That boy has a power that boggles the imagination. He has apparently been trained by a dead man, and the strongest man in our century. But all of this pales to what that boy was born with." Gin looked up from where he leaned against the restaurant.

"What?"

"all of the weapons of Don Krieg, all of the bombs, all the men he commands… if those things are true strength… then the power that that boy has is true strength, as well." He snorted. "There are idiots in this world, who, when they set their sights on en enemy, they will not rest until that enemy is defeated." Sanji looked up at the rubber man whaling on Don Krieg's armor.

"Then…?"

"This battle is going to be a fight to the death. I like idiots like that." Gin looked at the dueling teenager, and at the determined look on his face.

"FOOL!" Don Krieg roared. He whipped off his shoulder shields, slapped them together and pulled out a wooden pole. With a loud SHINK! A metal triangle slid out of the compound. Don Krieg whipped around the massive battle spear. Luffy looked at the huge weapon, unimpressed.

"Okay, now I KNOW you're compensating for something. And quite heavily, from the looks of it." Don Krieg screamed as the chefs cackled with laughter. "Lemme see, what were you saying again? Getting worked up about something only acknowledges your weakness. I was right then!"

"DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the don screamed as he sung the massive exploding spear at Luffy. Luffy grinned even wider. He swung a fist straight into the massive battle spear as the weapon exploded. Don Krieg cackled. "Two or three hits of this and you're dead, straw hat!"

"Is that a fact?" Luffy spoke, materializing up from the boards. "That would probably be the case… if you could even hit me, that is." Don Krieg whirled about and slashed at the infuriating boy. The captain of the Straw Hat pirates merely leaped straight over it. "Miss something?" swing. Leap. "Missed again!" Don Krieg screamed and started swinging even faster. Luffy dodged them all while laughing. He jumped away and started dancing. "Can't touch this!" he held up his hand. "Stop! Luffy time!" he shuffled around as the cooks in the water laughed uncontrollably.

"DIE YOU LITTLE FREAK OF NATURE! DIE, DIE, DIE!" the don lunged forward with the spear. Luffy met the spear halfway with his fist. The spear exploded into action. Don Krieg looked around. Luffy materialized silently behind him. He leaned in to his ear.

"Can't touch this." Don Krieg whirled around.

"GHAAAA!" he screamed. Luffy poked his spear.

"That's interesting. Mind if I borrow it?" he grabbed the spear out of his hands. "Thanks!" he swung the spear like a bat. "And it's a home run!"

"GIVE THAT BACK!" Don Krieg screamed as he whipped out his machine-gun shield again. Luffy looked over at him.

"Oh, you want it back? Here you go!" he chucked the spear at Don Krieg. The weapon exploded in his face as he screamed. Luffy picked up the smoking weapon and stared at the broken tip. "Darn. I went and broke my new toy." He chucked it in the water. "Ah well. It's done its purpose." He walked over to the smoking form of Don Krieg. He yanked him up on his shirt. "Nothing special."

"DIE!" Don Krieg slammed a fist into Luffy's stomach. He felt a slot open up. At the last second, Luffy remembered the flamethrower on his hand. He yelped and leaped away as a stream of fire shot out at him.

"Damn! I forgot about that!" Luffy stared at the one weapon the don had left. "How to get rid of that thing? That could be a lot of trouble for me. Fire evaporates water, after all, and rubber melts!" The don cackled.

"It is useless! You cannot defeat me!" Luffy threw his head back and laughed right along with the don.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Luffy looked at the platform again, but the don was gone. "Kronos above! Where'd he go?"

"I'm here!" the don shouted from the top of the mast. Luffy looked up, surprise on his face.

"Well, I'll be damned! How'd you do that? You're not exactly light on your feet!"

"Listen! With the best-crafted equipment, the greatest power, and the most powerful weapons, you'll be acknowledged to be strong as well!" Luffy looked up.

"I don't need any of that! I'm already stronger than you'll ever be!" he leaped up to the mast and began running up the huge assembly of wood. The don cackled.

"It's no use!" he stuck out the flamethrower at the charging Luffy. "This will be your grave!"

"I won't die!" Luffy shouted as he charged straight into the stream of fire. Don Krieg crowed his victory.

" I am victorious!"

"Gomu Gomu BASOOKA!" Luffy roared as he ran out of the cloud of fire. He slammed his outstretched arms into the king of the east blue's gut. Don Krieg was sent flying out above the water. Luffy panted, smoke pouring out of his mouth. The flamethrower did its work. The don laughed as he scattered bombs all about the base of the mast.

"It's no use! This is the limit of your strength!" a loud CRACK! Drew his attention to his armor. "What! My invincible armor is breaking?" he then smirked. "But it's too late. You're dead, sea devil!" the bombs plopped into the water.

"It's a trap! RUN!" Sanji screamed. The bombs all exploded, toppling the mast and sending massive plumes of water up to rain from the sky. "CHORE BOY!"

Luffy couldn't move. A deep feeling of sleep was overtaking his senses. Wouldn't it be nice to take a nap right now… yes… a nap would be good… Luffy closed his eyes… and the rain poured over him. Luffy's eyes snapped open as the water splashed into his wounds, sealing them up. Luffy sprang up into the clouds. "Gomu Gomu BAZOOKA!" he slammed his fists down into Don Krieg's splintering armor. The shards exploded around his face. Luffy grinned as the cooks went wild. "I WIN!" Luffy cheered in the air.

"YOU WISH, DAMN BRAT!" Luffy looked down.

"You're still alive? Can't you take a hint?" Don Krieg threw a net out at Luffy, ensnaring the boy. "Aw, crap." The don cackled insanely.

"You can't run away from this iron net! The sea is below us! It's clear who is the winner, hammer boy!" Luffy looked down at the man clutching the net. He grinned savagely.

"Aren't you forgetting something? I CONTROL THE SEA!" the don's eyes widened at his fatal blunder.

"NOOOOOOO!" the don screamed as the two plunged into the surf. As soon as Luffy touched the water, he was free. He grinned at the sinking don.

"Oh, no! I'm not done with you yet!" he teleported instantly to the don's side. "I haven't had my fun with you yet!" the don screamed a silent scream as Luffy began.

Sanji stared at the spot where the two had penetrated the sea. The silence was palpable as they awaited the victor. Suddenly, a massive waterspout formed and shot the massively bloodied don at the restaurant Baratie. The cooks cheered as the don flew.

"CHORE BOY WON!" the don continued his unconscious flight toward doom… before Gin pulled out his tonfa and smashed them into Don Krieg. The king of the east blue smashed once again into the water, rolling onto his back like a dead fish. Zeff stared at the silent pirate.

"I take it that means that you aren't following him anymore?" Gin shook his head.

"This battle has shown me what a madman Don Krieg was. And what a fool I was to follow him so devotedly." He shouldered his weapons. "I will no longer follow Don Krieg's every beck and call. I will no longer give my devotion so easily." Luffy sprang out of the water, riding in on a wave to the restaurant Baratie. He looked from the bloody tonfa to Don Krieg's body. He grinned.

"Good for you, Gin!" the former first mate smiled. He stared out at the Don Krieg pirates. "Pirates! I have defeated your captain! You know what this means!" the pirates looked at each other before they took up a chant.

"Captain Luffy! Captain Luffy! Captain Luffy!" Zeff looked at the immensely pleased look on the boy's face.

"You did some under the table dealings with them, didn't you?" Luffy said nothing. Zeff chuckled. "You're one devious little hired help, straw hat." Luffy then noticed a glaring problem with his new crew.

"Crap. They don't have a ship." He tapped his chin. "What am I supposed to do about that…?" he snapped his fingers. "Bingo!" he placed his hands on a patch of suddenly calm sea. He closed his eyes and pushed onto the waves. Sanji stumbled over to Luffy's side.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh! I'm trying to concentrate!" Luffy hissed. The sonar beam he had sent out returned, and Luffy gasped. "No. no fucking way" he pushed on the sea again. Again, the same results. "It is! Of all the luck in the world!"

"What?" Luffy grinned.

"The Baratie is right above a scuttled ship. The most famous one of them all." Luffy stood up. "Stand back, Sanji, and watch this. You'll never see something like this in your life again." Luffy stepped out on the waves and dropped his arms, now completely limp. Slowly, ever so slowly, Luffy's arms began to sway. The waves around him stopped, before beginning to flow in time with his arms. Sanji stared with wide eyes as Luffy slowly increased the speed of his swaying. The waves grew in speed with him, swirling about the boy. Luffy lifted his arms and began to swirl them around. The crashing waves began to twist around each other, faster, faster. Zeff gasped.

"He's creating a whirlpool." Luffy twisted his wrists, and a mighty hole in the waves opened like the maw of a gargantuan beast. The blast of an organ sounded out as a ship rose out of the hole in the ground, returning to the land of the living from the bottom of the sea. As soon as the ship leveled out, Luffy blew out his breath, and the whirlpool simply _stopped. _No slowing, no crash of waves, just, stopped. Veins in his hand clenching, breath ragged, Luffy started walking on the waves to the ship. Sanji and Gin, along with the entire assembly of pirates and pirate-cooks gaped with wide eyes at the man who raised a ship from the dead. Luffy stepped into the gaping hole in the belly of the ship, and walked onto the deck.

"Behold! The Flying Dutchman!" Luffy spread his arms. He slowly walked into the captain's quarters, where the slow, mournful melody of a music box was drifting out. Luffy pushed open the door. "Davy Jones?"

"aye." The man at the organ turned around. Luffy stared with unafraid eyes at the man-squid in front of him.

"How is it possible? The ship of souls, scuttled?" Jones snorted.

"The gods found me wanting. They created a new ship of souls, a new ferry to the world of the departed. And as some divine comedy, they left me there, trapped on this boat, the curse of never setting foot on land still in place. I have been trapped on this ship for nigh on a hundred years. But that does not mean that news does not escape my ear." Davy Jones bowed. "Welcome back, my liege."

"You are human. Why do you call me liege? I have no sovereignty over you."

"Oh, but you do. To any man who sails the seas, you are their liege lord." He stood upright. "You have freed me from that eternal torment. I and the Flying Dutchman are at your command." Luffy nodded.

"Very well. I have need of your ship. I have already chosen a new captain, and I wish to free you from your curse." He thought for a moment. "Wait here." he walked out of the captain's quarters as the music box played on. Luffy sat down, cross-legged. "Kronos. I have need of your power. Free the man Davy Jones from his curse to sail the seas forever." A light breeze caressed Luffy's face. "Very well." He stood and walked back in. "it is done. You are free to leave the ship." Davy Jones snorted.

"You are a fool. I can never leave."

"My god has lifted your curse. Leave through the hole in your ship if you do not believe me." Davy Jones peered at Luffy.

"… What was your name?"

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy." Davy Jones bowed.

"Thank you, my liege. I shall leave this thrice accursed boat and spread the fortuitous news that Monkey D. Luffy, lord of the sea, has returned. I shall never forget my debt to you." the captain of the Flying Dutchman grabbed the silent music box, walked out of the captain's quarters, and jumped off the rail and into the rolling sea. Luffy smiled walked out of the quarters, over to the rail. Almost immediately, he swayed heavily.

"Roger… can you…?" Luffy tipped over precariously. "Can you take over holding… up the ship? I don't feel… so good." Gold Roger immediately ran a systems check on Luffy and cursed.

"Shit! I forgot some poison!" he looked at it again. "Hmm… it's not the lethal dose, but that's enough to knock out a horse. Yes, I will take over holding the ship afloat, Luffy." Luffy smiled.

"Thanks… I'm gonna… take a nap…" Luffy leaned on the rail and toppled into the ocean head first. Sanji watched as his head plunged into the surf. He immediately started stripping of his clothes. Zeff stared at Sanji.

"What are you doing?"

"Did you see the way he was swaying? I don't think he's going to resurface!" Sanji leaped into the water. Zeff smirked.

"Chore boy… you've got your cook, hook, line and sinker." Zeff looked over his shoulder at Gin, who was back to leaning against the wall silently. "You do know that if the crew bade a deal with Luffy to join him, they're going to need a captain. Luffy most likely has you in mind." Gin stayed silent, staring at the ends of his tonfa. Zeff sighed.

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Sanji peered around in the clear waters, looking for the boy who had single-handedly saved the Baratie. 'Dammit. Where are you?' he looked in the direction of the ship. There! A flash of red! Sanji sped off towards the bright color he had seen. Almost immediately he was at the sinking Luffy's side. He looped his arm around Luffy's neck. He began to swim upward… before immediately noticing something horribly wrong.

'Shit! I can't hold my breath much longer!' Sanji thought. And indeed, the air inside his lungs was pushing, straining to get out. Yet Sanji was still submerged. The bright sun began to get fuzzy. 'Dammit… I refuse to die here…' Sanji closed his eyes…

"Boy. Wake up." A voice in the water shouted. Sanji opened his eyes, right before he was shot like a cannon for the surface. The two breached the surface like a dolphin and flew through the air, landing right next to the Baratie. Sanji looked around.

"What!"

"Eggplant. Get him on the fin." Zeff commanded. Thought of his mysterious savior were driven from his mind as Sanji dragged Luffy onto the boat. He immediately started pumping Luffy's stomach with his fist.

"Chore boy! You can't die, you hear! You've got stuff to do, don't you? Hey, you can't just die! Chore boy, say something… say something already! Chore boy, don't die!" he screamed. Luffy's only response was to begin snoring. Sanji started, before sitting back down. He punched the unconscious boy in the face. "Why you…" he smiled. "You're such a pain in the ass."

"Aye, that he is." The voice he had heard from earlier spoke. Sanji jerked his head up to see the man that had saved Luffy, the man that had brought with him clouds and despair, the man that Sanji truly feared. "And yet, you learn to love him like a son."

"You…!" the Man of Fear walked past Sanji.

"My name is…" Zeff snorted.

"What are you doing here, Gol D. Roger?" Sanji choked on his spit.

"Gold Roger!" the Man of Fear nodded.

"Aye. That be my name." he smiled at Zeff. "I see you've done well since you left the grand line. Good on you."

"How are you still alive?" Gold Roger shook his head.

"Is that how you treat an old friend? By asking personal questions like that?" Zeff stared at him, unimpressed. Gold Roger sighed. "Fine. A god saved me. An old god, one of the blank century."

"The century of no recorded history?" Gold Roger nodded.

"Aye. One of the real gods. Not one made up by the world government. One of the most powerful ones as well. Kronos, the god of time." Zeff snorted.

"I don't believe you."

"Then how do you explain me?" Gold Roger gestured at himself. Zeff remained silent. "The kid believes in Kronos as well. It's how he got t be so monstrously strong." Sanji stood up.

"Kronos…" Gold Roger nodded.

"Aye. He's weak now, though. He has lost almost all of his followers, since the world government has erased all knowledge of that time. What little that they could find, that is." He nodded.

"And how do you worship… Kronos?" Gold Roger smirked.

"Oh, right now, he doesn't care how you worship him. He needs the followers badly. He told me so himself." Zeff snorted.

"A god talks to you? That's even less believable." Gold Roger shrugged.

"It could be that without him, I would still be dead. In a way, I'm directly connected to him." a breeze swirled around him, and he stuck his ear out. "Is that so?" the breeze swirled again. "Very well. Kronos thanks you for your patronage. He has grown stronger once again. Well done." Gold Roger walked over to Luffy and hefted him over his shoulder. "Let's get him in a bed. It can't be good to just leave him hanging out here." Zeff jerked a thumb over at the unconscious Don Krieg.

"And what do we do with him?" Gold Roger grinned.

"Well, we could always turn him in for money. He IS worth seventeen million. That oughta pay for your roof in spades." Zeff laughed.

"Hahahahaha! That would only take about fifty thousand. What about the other sixteen million?" Gold Roger shrugged.

"If you don't want it, then we could always take it with us." Gold Roger walked into the restaurant. "Gin. Get your new crew to work on patching that hole in the Flying Dutchman. We'll need that thing self-sustaining, without me holding it up through sheer force of will." Gin jerked back.

"The Flying Dutchman!" Gold Roger nodded.

"Aye. The ship of souls. It's yours now." Gin swallowed the lump in his throat. He turned around to the pirates milling about in the water.

"You heard him, men! Get to work on that hole!" the pirates straightened up in the water.

"Captain!" they all started swimming toward the ship, grabbing pieces of the busted fin on the way. Gin looked over his shoulder.

"You don't mind if they use pieces of the fin, do you?" Zeff shook his head.

"It's beyond repair. The best we could do is recycle it into something like this." Gin nodded. He walked into the restaurant.

"Then, no hard feelings?" Zeff shook his head.

"Don Krieg was a madman. You've started playing for the other team now. It would be rude to harbor feelings of ill will." Gin let out a breath of relief.

"That lightens my conscience quite a bit. Thank you." the newest addition to Luffy's armada walked into the restaurant, leaving the master chef to watch Gin's pirates work on restoring their new ship.

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Luffy yawned as he sat up from the bed he was in. almost instantaneously, he felt the lack of weight on his head. "Ack! Where's my hat! Where's my hat!"

"Calm down. It's on the shelf." Sanji spoke, leaning out on the railing. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief as he placed it back on his head.

"Thank god. I thought I had lost it in the battle for a second." He looked around. "Where's Gin?"

"He's down restoring the ship that you raised. They're almost done, too." Sanji pointed down to the band of pirates milling about the Flying Dutchman. "You've been out for five days. You've got some freakishly powerful stuff, straw hat." Luffy nodded.

"You know, I just realized something. I kicked them all out, so I guess I'm off the hook with the work thing."

"congratulations." Luffy nodded.

"My offer still stands, you know."

"I'm not going. I don't want to be a pirate. I'm staying here to be a cook, until the crap-geezer acknowledges my cooking skill." Luffy nodded, a sad smile on his face.

"That's a real shame. You could have been great as our cook." He smiled. "You know, I'm not sure that you could have joined anyways." Sanji looked over his shoulder at Luffy, curious. "All of my official crew have huge dreams of theirs, and, well, you don't seem to have anything. I'm going to be the king of the pirates, Zoro wants to be the greatest swordsman, Nami wants to draw a map of the world, and Usopp wants to be a brave warrior of the sea… and, you? Nothing. You just want to stay with this restaurant until you die, always in the shadow of your boss." Sanji was silent. Luffy walked over to his side, just staring out at the sea. Sanji turned to Luffy, a smile on his face.

"Hey! Have you ever heard of 'all blue'?" Luffy grinned.

"All blue! The sea cook's paradise! The place where all the ocean's fishes converge! One of my greatest nakama had a dream to find it!" Luffy looked down. "He died in an ambush." Sanji looked away.

"I'm sorry." Luffy looked up and grinned.

"It's okay. It's my fault for thinking of something so morbid!" he looked away before turning again. "Hey! Your dream is to find the all blue?" Sanji nodded, the smile on his face getting wider. "I know where it is!"

"You do!" Sanji leaned in. "where! Where is it?"

"My friend from before worked it out! According to his calculations, the all blue is at the end of the grand line!" hee leaned in further. "The island Raftel, where One Piece is, is smack in the middle of the All Blue. If you find Raftel, you find the All Blue!" Sanji leaned back on the railing, a radiant grin on his face. Sanji twirled Luffy around before leaping in the air, a laugh bursting from his lips.

"HA HA! It exists! It exists! It really exists!" Zeff looked down from the balcony above them, a small smile on his face.

"He looks so damn happy." He chuckled. "Idiot."

"Many of the geniuses today were called idiots all their life." A voice behind him spoke. Zeff didn't turn around. Gold Roger walked over to Zeff's side. "It's really good to see you again, Zeff."

"I still don't understand how you are still alive. I don't buy your talk of gods and miracles." Gold Roger shrugged.

"Every man has his own opinion." He remained silent for a bit. "You know, it was fun, when we sailed together, that year on the grand line." Zeff snorted.

"Fun, my ass. You brought in trouble every day." Gold Roger laughed softly.

"And it was I who got us out of that trouble. My crew and I are literally the only reason you lasted as long as you did against all the devil fruit users." Zeff looked up at the sky, a smile on his face.

"You'd be right. The kid's your apprentice?" Gold Roger nodded.

"Aye. And he'll be stronger than I ever was. You can be sure of that." Zeff looked down at the laughing straw hat boy.

"Is that a fact…?" he turned around and walked into the main dining hall of the restaurant. "Come. Let's go get some food." He turned around, only for Gold Roger to have disappeared. "Gone again from my life… when will he turn up again?" Zeff turned around and left.

Luffy peered into the dining hall, all the chefs of the Baratie sitting down and eating. Sanji immediately saw a problem. "Hey! Where are we sitting?"

"We ran out of chairs." One of the cooks spoke. One next to his elbow snickered.

"Eat on the floor, the floor." Sanji quirked an eyebrow.

"No seats? How is that possible? This is a restaurant, for crying out loud!" Luffy merely grabbed a plate and began ladling himself food. Sanji sighed and grabbed his own food. "Oh well…"

"They're planning something." Luffy said as he looked at Zeff. He winked. Zeff chuckled.

"It's what they always do." Patty took a loud sip of the soup and slammed the spoon down on the table.

"Oi! Who made the soup this morning!" Sanji smiled and waved his hand in the air.

"It's me! Me! Pretty good, eh? Today's is even more exceptional!" Patty began vehemently wiping his mouth with his arm.

"I could hardly swallow this piece of crap! It's only fit for pigs!" Patty spat twice at Sanji. Sanji's face darkened as he visibly started trembling with anger. He slowly pulled himself onto his feet as Luffy watched the entire spectacle, shoving chunks of meat into his mouth with both of his forks.

"Hey. You never tasted 'human' food before, crap-cook?" he finished as if swearing.

"You're turning this awful cooking into an art form. I'm about to puke!" Patty spat out the taste once more. Sanji slowly started walking forward, the evil look on his face never leaving.

"Excuse me, but I'm very confident in what I made today. Is there something wrong with you tongue?" Carne scooped up a spoonful of the soup, slurped it down, wiped his mouth off… and spat it out.

"It's disgusting!" he slammed the spoon down.

"I can't take this at all!" he spat out the taste. "Right everyone!"

"How can we take this?" "The soup's super horrible!" "We can't drink up this crap!" "This is just awful. Can someone get me some water?" Sanji snapped.

"What are you bastards up to!"

"You're a phony assistant chef. You've just been here the longest, that's all." Patty responded, an angry look on his face.

"We're tired of your violent behavior!" one of the chefs said.

"It tastes so bad, we just had to say it out loud." Sanji began twitching.

"What did you say!" Zeff calmly took a sip of the soup.

"We're cooks of the sea. We can't afford to waste a single drop of soup." Zeff slowly scooped up the last of the soup and drank it up. As soon as he was finished, he stood up and threw the dish at the floor, shattering it into pieces.

"Boss!" the chefs screamed. Luffy continued watching, knowing where it was heading as he took a giant bite of squid and chewing it.

"What's with this disgusting soup of yours?" Zeff questioned. "Do you want put this restaurant out of business or something?" Sanji ran up and grabbed Zeff by the collar and began shaking him.

"Stop kidding around, crap-geezer! Tell me what makes my soup and yours any different! Tell me!" Zeff scowled.

"My soup and yours?" he smashed Sanji in the face with his fist. "Don't be so conceited!" the assorted chefs gasped.

"Boss punched him! He didn't kick him, he punched him!"

"You're one hundred years too early to compare to me, little eggplant! For I am the man who has cooked on all the seas, all over the world!" Sanji leaned up, clutching the side of his face. The two stared at each other before Sanji stood up and ran out the door.

"Dammit!" Luffy slowly stood up and walked over to the pot of soup.

"Well, since you guys obviously don't like the soup, can I have it all?" he winked at them. "Or were you all just faking it?" Zeff did not laugh.

"The soup is indeed delicious. Sanji's cooking is revered by everyone here."

"The soup's not bad at all." "Yeah, it's well made." Man, that was scary. He seemed pretty mad back there." "Yeah, he was." Luffy grabbed the ladle and poured the contents into his mouth, skipping the middle man of the bowl.

"But if we didn't pull this off, he'd never leave. That idiot brat." Zeff spoke. Luffy peered over his shoulder and saw Sanji's face in the porthole of the door. "Hey, kid!" Luffy looked up.

"You want me to take him with me, right?" Zeff nodded. "I know. You told me when I just got here, remember?" Zeff chuckled.

"Yes, when you busted a hole in my roof. You were pretty convincing back then. And you haven't changed that one bit. I want you take the littl3e eggplant of ours with you." Patty chuckled.

"You see, our boss is a bit of troublemaker." Carne grinned.

"I was worried for a second with your crappy acting." Patty laughed.

"Not to mention yours. More soup, please!" he shouted.

"Me too! Me too!" Luffy saw Sanji slump to the ground behind the door. Luffy motioned at Zeff, before jerking a thumb at the door. Zeff immediately understood. Luffy motioned to continue. Zeff grinned.

"How 'bout it, kid?" Luffy shook his head.

"I can't."

"WHAT!" the chefs screamed.

"Why? You need a cook on your ship, he's one of our best cooks, he's a damn good fighter, and you two seem to get along well. So why can't you bring him along? Is it that you suddenly don't like him?" Zeff rolled his eyes towards the door. Luffy grinned.

"God, no! Sanji's the best! I dearly wish that I could take him with me. But he said that he wants to stay here and be a cook. I could take him with me by force, but then that would leave a sour taste in my mouth if he ever actually fed us. Or even talked us. I can't take him along, even if you guys want me to. He's too devoted to this restaurant." Zeff began stroking his braided mustache.

"So, you're saying that you can't do anything unless he says 'yes'?" Luffy nodded.

"Exactly. I want a refill." He held out his plate.

"Yeah, that's probably best. But that stupid kid, will he actually admit that he wants to go?"

"Not a chance. He's a stubborn son of a gun." Patty put in his two cents. Luffy nodded.

"And that's a damn good thing to have when you're a pirate. Persistence is the greatest thing when you're a pirate, who are dream-chasers of the greatest kind. Seconds please!" Zeff took his plate. Luffy immediately stood up and motioned swiftly. "Get away from the door! There's a shark heading this way!" he whispered. The cooks scrambled away fast, as they had seen what the kid knew about water. And not a second too soon, for the door burst in, tearing it and the surrounding wall away. When the dust settled, Sanji was laying spread eagled on the ground, floored by the shark carrying Yosaku. Luffy immediately walked up to the shark.

"Thank you, shark. Your work is done." The shark's eyes widened. Luffy pried open it's jaws in the interim and pulled Yosaku out. He then picked up the shark and tossed it out into the open sea. Zeff stared.

"Did you just… speak to the shark?" Luffy nodded.

"I speak shark." The entire assembly sweatdropped, excluding the two knocked on the floor. "Get Yosaku some towels. He's been in the water for a long time, and he's probably got a mild case of hypothermia." One of the chefs scrambled off. Luffy grabbed a chair and put the bounty hunter on it. He slapped Yosaku's face repeatedly. "c'mon, Yosaku. Stay with me. Don't go to sleep." the towels arrived, and Luffy wrapped one around his shoulders.

"th-thanks, Luffy." he said gratefully. Luffy nodded.

"Don't mention it. Is Nami located?" Yosaku shivered.

"We, we didn't catch up with her, but, judging from her direction, we roughly know her destination." Luffy nodded.

"You came back to get me because it's really dangerous, right?" Yosaku nodded. Luffy stood up. "All right. You did well. Let's go." Yosaku threw off the towel and the two began to walk out the hold in the wall. Sanji finally lit his cigarette in one try.

"wait." He said. Luffy turned around.

"Yeah? Are you going to follow your dream now?" Sanji stood up.

"All of us hold on to foolish dreams." Luffy nodded.

"But that holding onto a dream is what makes us men. The willingness to chase that dream to make it become reality." Luffy looked Sanji in the eye. "Are you ready to chase your dream, Sanji? Are you ready to risk it all in order to find your dream? The All Blue?" Sanji nodded.

"Yeah. I'm ready." The grin on Luffy's face was contagious.

"Well, then, welcome aboard, Sanji!" he held out his hand. Sanji grabbed it. "It's good to have you with us!"

"We got a cook! We got a cook! We got a cook!" Yosaku yelled joyously. He and Luffy began leaping around happily. Sanji turned to look at the assembly of cooks.

"Well, that's it, people." He grinned. "I gave you a lot of trouble, didn't I?" Patty scoffed.

"Man, you piss me off. I wanted to throw you out of here myself. But now things turn out to be easy." Sanji looked on, nonplussed.

"Well, I'm sorry… that's what you get for putting on such an appalling performance." Patty gave a start.

"Wh-what! You figured us out!"

You couldn't be any more transparent. You're all morons."

"What?" Patty pulled up his fists.

"So, you guys really want me out of here, eh? Eh, crap-geezer?"

"What's with that foul mouth of yours!" Zeff put out a hand to stop Patty from going after Sanji.

"That's right, you little eggplant. I hate kids! I regret every passing day that I let you live, ungrateful kid." Sanji laughed once.

"Well, that's nice, crap-geezer. Now you can just sit back and relax the rest of your life." The words that were spoken were harsh, but the unspoken words said millions in the kinship they all had. Luffy smiled.

'That's everybody. Now, for the grand line! To destiny!'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And, the Baratie arc is finally complete!

Wow, I don't understand why this was so hard to write! I had the anime episode right in front of me (the Japanese, not the 4shame dub.) and it still resisted me at every turn! Sorry for the long wait!

Remember, five gets it whenever I feel like it, ten gets it as soon as I'm done. (There were some people who wanted the distinction between the two. So, there you go.)

It's the tenth birthday of The Will Of D! thank you to all of you who made this story take off so much! It's already in the hundred-review mark and it's not even past ten chapters! Thank you to all of you who stuck with it from the beginning, and thank you to all of you who joined halfway! Thank you to all of you!

Review. You know you want to.


	11. The New Chef

Alright! Here's the eleventh chapter, and the beginning of the Arlong park arc! (heheh, I made a rhyme. Hehe… O.O')

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Disclaimer: yeah! I don't own One Piece! Let's break out the crackers and celebrate my uselessness!

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"whoa! Nice ship there! are you sure we can use it?" Yosaku exclaimed. The chef with him nodded.

"it's Sanji's, so of course you can use it. But can't you just go in that big ship of yours?" Yosaku shook his head.

"Luffy says that the repairs still aren't done. It need to stay here a while before it becomes seaworthy." The cook nodded.

"that makes sense. It would be a shame if he raised that thing up only for it to sink again!" the two shared a laugh at that.

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"aren't you done yet?" another chef complained as Luffy held open the bag of food.

"nope! More meat, please!" the chef grabbed a hunk of veal and placed it in the bag.

"how long are you going to be sailing?" Luffy shrugged.

"I dunno. I'm not close enough to the water to tell." The distinctive CLACK! Of wood striking the floor alerted Luffy to Zeff's presence.

"hey, kid!" he held out a brown book, obviously quite old. The logbook of Zeff's crew. "you want this?" Luffy shook his head, grinning.

"nope! We've got a better guide than that!" Zeff grinned.

"thought so." He turned and walked away. Luffy immediately whirled around and pointed at a prime slice of beef.

"I want that frozen beef right there!"

"can't you cut it out already!" Luffy pouted.

"fine. Be that way!" he grabbed the drawstring on the bag, pulled it tight, and hoisted it over his shoulder like it was nothing. With that, he walked out the kitchen. He plopped the food into Sanji's boat. He noticed Gin out of the corner of his eye. "Oi! Gin!" his new crewmate turned.

"yes, captain?" Luffy gestured for him to move closer. Gin walked his way. "what is it?"

"you know as well as I do that the Flying Dutchman is in no shape whatsoever to go out to sea. You guys are working fast, but it's still not going to be ready by the time we leave." Gin nodded. "I want you to stay here for right now. Fix the Flying Dutchman until it is seaworthy, and sail for Loguetown. There are some decent shipwrights there that can fix the ship properly. Along the way, get your men to train, and train heavily." He eyes took on a glint. "what I said during the battle was true, every step of the way. The only reason that you are so powerful is because you have strength in numbers. That will not cut it with me. I do not accept quantity, I accept quality. Either get your men strong, or I will lock you all up at the marine base there."

"captain!" Gin started. Luffy grinned.

"that's what I want you to tell the crew! You and I know I'd never do that, but they don't!" Gin was silent, before understanding the ruse and chuckling lightly.

"very well." Gin started walking off.

"Gin! Where are you going?" Gin turned around. "you're staying with us! Pearl was the second mate, right? So, now he's the first mate! Have him captain the ship to Loguetown, and you come with us!" Gin nodded.

"very well. I shall tell the men the news." He walked off. Luffy leaped over onto the small boat. Gin returned shortly. "it is done. They will meet us in Loguetown. Err… why Loguetown?"

"because it's the closest town to the Grand Line. We can meet up there, and then pass on." Luffy looked at the door to the restaurant. "Sanji's sure taking his sweet time saying goodbye to the restaurant." Just then, as if inspired by providence, Sanji stepped out of the doorframe, a bag sluung over his shoulder and a case of knives in his hand. He looked at the massive assembly of cooks clearing a line to his ship. Sanji took a step forward.

"THIS IS PAYBACK FOR ALL THE STUFF YOU'VE DONE TO US!" Patty screamed as he leaped out with a giant spoon, along with Carne.

"PREPARE YOURSELF, SANJI!" he yelled as well. Sanji merely dropped his things and did a handstand, and the cooks missed him by a huge margin. Sanji twirled around, feet extended, and the two vengeful cooks were sent flying.

"I told you you couldn't beat him." Sanji continued his silent march down the aisle of cooks. Nobody spoke. Nobody needed to. Everything that needed to be said, already had been said. Luffy nodded.

"alright. Let's get going." Sanji placed his things into the boat.

"Sanji!" Zeff yelled out. The breath in the blond cook's throat caught, and a lump he couldn't dislodge formed. "you take care of yourself." Luffy smiled as slowly, tears began rolling down Sanji's face. Luffy nodded. Sanji whirled about and fell to the floor.

"BOSS ZEFF!" he cried out. "Thank you! for everything you've done for me!" the tears would not stop pouring out. "I will never forget you, for the rest of my life!" Sanji continued to grovel there, crying as a stray tear rolled down his mentor's face. A heart-wrenching sob drew Sanji's attention to Patty and Carne, who were bawling their eyes out.

"I'll miss you, you bastard!" Patty sobbed.

"We'll miss you, alright!" Carne added. Sanji looked around at all of the cooks of the fighting restaurant Baratie, who were all in various stages of losing control of their tears. Zeff managed to wipe away his own sorrow.

"You idiots! Men should say their good byes silently." Luffy grinned as he helped the sobbing cook onto his boat.

"Alright! Let's go!"

"'Till we meet again, you freakin' bastards!" Sanji shouted after the rapidly retreating restaurant. The cooks cheered after Sanji as he waved at them furiously. Zeff grinned madly.

'If they keep that determination and refusal to die, they _will _find all blue. Until we meet again… roger.' He straightened up. "Alright men! Customers will be flooding in soon! Get back to work!"

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"Do you need a moment, Sanji?" Luffy asked as Sanji continued to quietly sob. He nodded silently. Luffy grabbed Yosaku by the scruff of his neck and dragged him into the kitchen, giving the Going Merry's new cook time to bawl his eyes out.

"Okay, Yosaku. Where is Nami headed?" Yosaku shivered.

"To Arlong Park." Luffy nodded.

"Alright. Then I know where to send us." Luffy stomped on the floor three times. The boat rocked as a sudden wave rolled up. "There. That ought to get us to Arlong Park sometime today. We're free to do whatever." Yosaku stared, gaping.

"How'd you do that!" Luffy grinned.

"I ate the Mizu Mizu fruit! I'm a water man!" Yosaku stumbled backwards.

"I-impossible…" Luffy grinned even more.

"It's true!" he melted his arm. Yosaku screeched.

"Your arm fell off!" Luffy reformed it. "Such power…"

"Yep!" Luffy looked out the door. Sanji was already composing himself. "Alright, Sanji looks like he's okay. Let's get this all over with." Luffy dragged Yosaku back out. "Sanji! You okay now?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He answered. Luffy nodded, before breaking out into a beaming smile as he leaped into the pounding surf. Sanji gaped and began to take off is clothes to dive in after him, but Luffy leaped out of the surf like a blue marlin broaching the waves in the fading sun. Luffy continued this while laughing the entire time. He finally jumped back onto the boat, grinning. "Sorry about that! But I'm so damn happy! I've finally got a cook!" he jumped onto the mast. "To the Grand Line!" he pointed off in a random direction. He then scratched his head sheepishly. "Wait, we need Nami for that. We'll go get her, and then…" he pointed off in a different random direction. "TO THE GRAND LINE!"

"Nami-san!" Sanji cupped his face as he blushed faintly. "Just thinking about her inexplicable beauty makes my heart jump for joy! I sure would like to see her sometime soon!" Luffy felt his stomach twinge as Sanji said those words. He looked down.

"Hmm…? What was that?" he shrugged. "Ah, well. Guess I'm hungry. Sanji! Make me some food!" Yosaku smacked his knee.

"You're too naïve! Way too naïve! Don't you get it! We're getting closer and closer to Arlong's base!" Luffy nodded.

"The biggest bounty in the east blue, the former crewmember of Jimbei's pirates, a hellishly strong merman, I know." he grinned. But that doesn't change the fact that we're still going after Nami!"

"You don't get it! Nami-aniki's going after the twenty million on Arlong's head! For all we know, while we're taking it easy here, she could have snuck into Arlong's base!" Luffy doodled a picture of a fish with legs. He showed it to Sanji.

"Look! A merman!" Sanji had to cover his mouth to stifle the snort of laughter. Luffy looked over at the bounty hunter. "And no, Nami's not trying to go after Arlong's bounty, though she would probably dearly love that. Nami's part of Arlong's crew!" Yosaku tripped mid-pace and went sprawling across the deck. Sanji immediately had hearts in his eyes.

"Mellorine! Nami-san is part of a merman crew! Perhaps she's a mermaid too! She's certainly cute enough!" that comment set off yet another twinge in Luffy's gut. He pounded his stomach, confused.

"Hey, you stop that!" he looked over at Sanji. "Sanji! I'm hungry! Make me some food!" Yosaku screamed.

"Nami is part of Arlong's crew! How long have you known!" Luffy looked over his shoulder.

"Since the very first day I met her. She said that she hated pirates, I wanted to know why, she clutched her arm, I ripped off her sleeve, bam! She one of Arlong's men." He waved his hands placatingly at Yosaku, who was screaming his head off at Luffy. "Hey, hey, hey! She's not one of his pirates willingly! She got press-ganged into service!" the look in Yosaku's eyes did not fade one bit.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Gin snorted.

"That's a personal matter of deep resentment for her. It would be a violation of her trust if he told even a single soul." Luffy gave a start and whirled around to behind him, where Gin was leaning against the helm.

"Gin! How long have you been there? Weren't you supposed to be with the Flying Dutchman?" Gin shook his head.

"No, you told me to come with you to Arlong Park. You told me to tell Pearl to go to Loguetown and find one of the shipwrights there." Luffy scratched his head, confused.

"Really? I could have sworn..." he shrugged. "Ah well. It'll work out. But Gin's right. It would have violated her trust in me if I told anybody about her involvement with the Arlong pirates. She's deeply ashamed with her affiliation with them." Yosaku shook his head, becoming more and more frustrated with the captain's blatant disregard of all the important facts.

"That's not the point! Nami betrayed us!"

"I knew from day one that she would eventually betray us." He grinned. "And you know what? From day one, I knew that we would chase her down and get her back. Because she really loves this crew, you know?" he waved off Yosaku. "I know what I'm doing. If you don't like it, then hop off the ship. Sanji, make me some food!" Sanji nodded.

"Yeah, it's about lunchtime." Luffy whooped.

"Alright! Make me some meat! On the bone!"

"Some fried beans for me!" Sanji looked at Gin.

"And what do you want, Gin?" Gin chuckled.

"Some sushi would be excellent." Sanji nodded before walking off to the kitchen. Luffy then sat himself down in a cross-legged position and stretched out his consciousness. Slowly, a figure started to rise out of the water. With agonizing slowness, it formed into a copy of the rubber man. Luffy breathed out.

"Man! I still can't get it right!" he shrugged. "Ah well. It'll still serve my purposes." He closed his eyes again, and the clone of Luffy bounded of across the water. Gin stared after the fleeting figure.

"What was that for, captain?" Luffy sat down on the bow of the boat.

"I sent that clone of mine after Zoro and the others. It can't act on its own, since I haven't figured out how to do that yet, but I can project myself into it easily." Luffy closed his eyes, and breathed outwards. With that breath fleeing his body, so did his consciousness, as it chased after the fleeting figure on the waves. Gin sat down beside him.

"Ah, well. Lunch isn't going to be ready anytime soon." Gin picked up the same position as Luffy, and breathed out. The two just sat there, very close, and yet they couldn't be farther apart.

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Luffy blinked his eyes and looked around. He looked down at his hands, and at the rolling waves. "Looks like I'm in the clone's body now." He grinned as he sank down a bit into the water. A hollowed out tube rose from the water. "Fire in the hole! Mizu Mizu CANNON!" Luffy flew out of the tube of water like he was indeed shot out of a cannon into the air. He peered around with the clone's eyes. "Hmm… they can't be too far ahead… then again, they do have a five-day head start…" Luffy dipped back down towards the waters. He waved his hand mid-flight, and another water cannon formed. Luffy sank right into the middle of the cannon as it twisted around. "Fire in the hole!" the cannon fired, and Luffy was once again in the air. He grinned. "Now, this would be fun even if I wasn't doing anything important, I don't care who you are!"

And so it continued, Luffy either soaring through the sky or preparing to once again, until he finally caught sight of a white sail. "Bingo!" he grinned as he continued on his crash course towards the boat. With a dramatic laugh, Luffy plunged into the waves beside the boat. Usopp yelped. Kuro stood up and bowed.

"Hello, captain. So nice of you to join us." Luffy stood up on the waves.

"It's good to be here. Can you give me a status report?" Kuro nodded.

"We are within a day's sailing of Arlong Park, if the wind and tides are generous. We are currently formulating a plan of action for securing Miss Nami." Luffy nodded before jumping in the boat himself. Zoro peered at Luffy.

"…you're not the real Luffy, are you?" Usopp scrambled backwards.

"UWAAAAA! A clone! Somebody cloned Luffy!" Luffy laughed.

"Yeah, I'm just a clone." Usopp screeched. "But Luffy's listening right now! He's controlling me, so treat me like you would treat Luffy." Usopp breathed a sigh of relief. Zoro nodded.

"Alright. Kuro, you had a plan?" the former butler pushed up his glasses. Luffy watched him do that.

"You know, we should really get you some new glasses. It would be bad if they fell off during a fierce battle." Kuro nodded.

"Thank you for your generosity, captain, but that is neither here nor there. Right now, we have Miss Nami as the priority, not my own person. Now…" he pulled on a bladed glove and pulled out a piece of paper. It was revealed to be a map of the coastline. He stabbed at one part. "This is Arlong Park."

"Ugly thing, isn't it?" Kuro ignored Zoro's comment.

"Frankly, right now we don't have the intelligence or the firepower to take out Arlong head-on. It's possible that we could right now, but that would only lead to someone being irrevocably hurt. We either need to go to one of the villages…" he stabbed at various points of the map with his pointer finger. "And gather Intel from there, or…"

"We let somebody be the bait. Let Arlong take them into his clutches, and take them out from the inside." Luffy finished. Kuro nodded. "Why can't we do both? That way, if one plan fails, we still have another waiting in the wings." Kuro nodded.

"Yes, that seems to be the logical course of action. The only question is, who is doing what?" Luffy looked over at Zoro.

"I think Zoro should be the one that infiltrates Arlong's base. He's powerful, which will be useful in the event that things come to a fight, he knows how to keep his mouth shut, which will help his self-preservation, and best of all, he's severely injured. Nobody will suspect a man with an injury that big of trying anything." Zoro shook his head.

"I'm sure as hell not going in there on my own with only one sword without backup. I say Kuro joins me as bait." at Luffy's questioning look, he elaborated. "He's apparently handy with a blade, if his gloves are anything to go by. I'd feel better with another swordsman at my back."

"Why can't Luffy just go with you? I mean, he IS right here…" Usopp suggested. Luffy shook his head.

"I'm just a clone. And I can't do anything on my own. Luffy has to control every move I make will all of his concentration. If he controls me, he's leaving his own body completely defenseless. I can't come with Zoro." Usopp slumped. Kuro nodded, pushing up his glasses.

"Very well. Zoro and I will be bait for the mermen while Usopp and Johnny retrieve information about their operation. There is no complaint with this plan?" everybody nodded. Kuro stood, rolling up the piece of paper. "Very well, then. This meeting is adjourned." Luffy's clone nodded and melted away.

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Luffy's consciousness snapped back to its original body, and the pirate rocked backwards on his butt. "Whoa! Never tried that before!" he rubbed his head. "So, the details are all ironed out." He massaged his temples. "Man that gives you one heck of a headache…" he looked over to his side to see Gin sitting beside him in a cross-legged position. "Gin! What are you doing there?"

"I am meditating." Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

"Really? Never pegged you as the spiritual type."

"It is how I dealt with all the killing I did in Don Krieg's name. I sorted through all of those that died by my hand, and I asked myself: was there a good reason for killing them? If there was, then I let that person go. If there was not, then I find some way to do them penance. Otherwise, their faces will keep haunting me." Luffy nodded, faintly impressed.

"I never would have known that from just looking at you." Gin nodded, standing up.

"Neither would anybody else that I have met. I try to cultivate an image, to stay in Don Krieg's good graces. I did most of this in secret." Luffy nodded once again before sniffing the air. He grinned savagely.

"Alright! Lunch is almost ready!" he bounded to the door to the ship's kitchen, where Sanji was finishing up the meals. "Hey, Sanji! You almost ready yet?"

"Done right now!" Sanji walked out, balancing two plates in his hands and one on his head. Luffy snatched his off of Sanji's head.

"Aww YEAH! This smells awesome!" he picked up one of the three pieces of meat and chomped down on it immediately. He salivated. "Damn, this is good! Remind me to get you to teach me how to make this stuff!" Sanji chuckled as the two other passengers took their plates.

"If I did that, I'd be out of a job, Luffy." Luffy shrugged.

"Eh, it was worth a shot." Luffy then stiffened. "Something's right below us. Something huge." Sanji ran to the side of the boat and pointed at the large silhouette in the water. Luffy breathed out. 'It was only Mohmoo.'

"MOOOO!" the sea cow roared as it surfaced by the small dinghy. Sanji gaped.

"What is that! A sea cow!" Sanji screamed. Luffy nodded.

"Yep. A sea cow. Stand back. This could turn ugly." He looked up at the sea cow. "MOooO MOOO Moooo. MOO MooooOO? (Hello, great sea cow. What do you want with us?)" Mohmoo drew back as if stung.

"Mooo mOOOooO! (you speak sea cow!)" The crew looked back and forth, completely and utterly confused as to how the two seemed to be having a conversation. Luffy nodded.

"Mooo, moo MOOO. (Yes, I speak sea cow.) The great monster looked at him with wide eyes.

"mOOO mOOo MOooo? (what are you?)" Luffy spread his arms wide.

"Moooo MOoo MOOOO mooo, Moooooo mOOomOO mooo MOOO. (I have many names and I have no name, for they drift away with the currents.) the sea cow flipped onto its back in shock, where it stayed for a few seconds. When it recovered, it righted itself, bowed its head and held out its fins, the equivalent of a bow. The crew looked on in shock.

"MOO mOOOO! Moooo! MMOOO moo mOO? (m-my liege! You're real! How may I serve you?)"

"moo moooo MOoOO. (take us to Arlong park.)" the sea cow dove into the sea, where it resurfaced in front of the boat. Luffy quickly tied a knot and threw a lasso over one horn. He did the same with the other horn. "moOO. MOooo MOo, moOO moomoo. (good. If Arlong orders you to fight us, remember who is your true master.)" The sea cow took off with a speed that had all but Luffy thrown to the back. He turned to the heap of tangled limbs and grinned. "Look! I got us a free ride!"

"How in the hell did you do that! You were talking to it or something!" Johnny stood up first. Luffy shrugged.

"I speak sea cow." The crew sweatdropped.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"look! There's the Going Merry!" Usopp shouted. He started dancing a jig. Kuro attempted to push up his glasses, but was halted by the ropes binding his arms.

"look. There are the mermen." The sharpshooter dropped to the deck with a speed that amazed the onlookers. Kuro looked over to Zoro, who was tied up beside him. "Zoro, it's time for your part." Zoro nodded, before screaming.

"UNTIE US, DAMMIT!" he flailed his legs in Usopp's direction, attempting to kick him in the face. Usopp looked over his side, sweating bullets.

"They haven't noticed us yet… wait!" two of the mermen looked over and dove into the water. "They've spotted us!" he and Johnny jumped up the bow. "We'll tell Luffy you died a hero's death!" the two jumped into the water. "Well, maybe not Kuro…"

The two mermen pulled themselves up onto the boat and looked over at the two restrained men. "Oh, look. Two humans out to get their kicks." Zoro's face took on a light shade of green as he realized what he was talking about. The second merman shrugged.

"I don't understand humans. Why do they go after other men when women are much better?" Zoro's face got greener.

"Yeah, women have… no, wait, they're tied up. They aren't out here for fun. Unless they're into this kind of thing." Zoro's face was now as green as his hair. Kuro coughed.

"I believe you have our circumstances mistaken. We were captured as prisoners. If you would be so kind as to undo our ropes, we will be on our way." Zoro turned his head to the side and heaved his breakfast onto the planks of the ship. The two mermen recoiled from the sludge.

"Yeargh! That's nasty!" the first one shrugged.

"Let's bring them to Arlong before anything else." The two plied their strength to piloting the boat. Kuro grinned, a stray hair falling down onto his face.

'Phase one is complete. Awaiting your command, captain.'

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And… CUT!

Alright, this is the eleventh chapter of The Will of D! I thank all of you that made this story so popular once again! I'm surprised that I have this chapter done so quickly! I guess it's because none of my other favorites are updating! If any of you are reading this… HURRY THE HELL UP! I AM SO FRICKIN' BORED RIGHT NOW!

The Arlong arc has started, and already things are taking a wide turn from normal. What is Kuro's plan? What is Luffy going to do with his newfound subordinate? And what will Nami do now that she's in the clutches of her captors once again? Find out… next chapter!

Review. You know you want to.


	12. Arlong Park

New chapter. Enjoy.

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Disclaimer: do I really need to say it again…?

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"Open the gates! We found two suspicious men!" the two mermen shouted to Arlong Park as they restrained Zoro and Kuro. The Iron Gate creaked open, and the ship sailed in. the two guards tossed the pirates on the ground. "They were engaged in some sort of bondage thing."

"SAY THAT AGAIN AND I CHOP YOU INTO SASHIMI!" Zoro screamed. Even Kuro was looking a little pale at the continuing line of thought. Arlong was not amused.

"Do you know you're sailing in my waters? Well? Do you?" the two remained silent. "What is your purpose for being here?"

"We're looking for a woman."

"What did we tell you? Some sort of bonda-"

"SILENCE! I KILL YOU!" Zoro screamed. Arlong glared.

"I'll ask you again: what is your purpose?" Zoro matched the glare with one of his own.

"Like I said, we're here to find a woman, you half-fish bastard!" Arlong chuckled.

"Ooh, this low-life human has guts! I'll let that slip by me this time, but you're not allowed to say half-fish ever again!" he held up his webbed hand. "Us mermen are evolved beings who can breathe underwater. These fish abilities make us superior to humans. The power we have is proof enough that we are superior to humans." Zoro sat silently through his theory. "You better remember this, and remember it well." He tapped his head. "The superior beings on earth are not humans, but mermen! If humans were to go against us, it would be like defying the laws of nature!" the tap of shoes sounded on the tiled floor.

"I grow tired of your theory, Arlong!" Nami reprimanded as she joined Arlong at his side. Arlong held up a greeting hand to her as Zoro's and Kuro's faces remained emotionless.

"Why so serious, Nami? We both know you're the exception. You're our greatest cartographer! You draw the greatest maps for us."

"Our brains our different, so it's obvious why I draw maps better than you."

"'Our' greatest cartographer, Nami?" Zoro spoke. "Are you saying you work for this guy?"

"It has become more than obvious that our retrieval mission here was a waste of time, Zoro." Kuro spoke.

"Oh? You three know each other?" Arlong questioned. Nami huffed.

"Don't be a fool. They're just victims of mine. I got a lot of loot from them." She sauntered down the steps to kneel in front of the two. She smirked. "You don't even realize that you've been tricked, and you still come chasing after me. You're idiots." Zoro kept his face blank.

"So this is your true nature? You are truly part of the half-fish's crew?" Arlong twitched. "And to think you hated pirates…" Kuro flipped his head up, causing his glasses to fly back to their original position.

"It was a trick, in order to earn our money. I did not trust you since the moment I joined the crew." Nami snorted.

"You're one to talk, Kuro. You tried to kill one of our friends." A vein in Kuro's head twitched. Even if this entire dialogue was a farce, that was going too far. "Are you two surprised? You'll understand better after seeing this…"

"Don't. We already know about the tattoo." Zoro interrupted her. Arlong leaned forward.

"Nami? What is he talking about?" the shock on her face was quickly replaced my one of contempt.

"Their idiotic leader found out about the tattoo the first day I met him, but he still trusted me. He must have told them after I stole their treasure." Arlong cackled.

"He trusted you after finding out you were one of us! SHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You find the best victims, Nami!" she twitched, almost imperceptibly, but both Zoro and Kuro saw her face become pained. Zoro grinned.

'Luffy was right. She is still one of us.'

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Usopp quickly opened his eyes and sat up, looking around wildly. "What? Where am I?"

"You're at my home." A voice behind him spoke. Usopp turned around and saw a tan blue-haired woman sitting at the table, a cup of tea held in her hands. "You awake?"

"You're…"

"My name is Nojiko. I plant oranges here." the woman spoke.

"I remember! You're the one who hit me, right?" he pointed at her accusingly. "And to think I was kind enough to rescue you!" Nojiko slid the cup of tea over to Usopp.

"I was the one who did the rescuing. If you had fought that merman in your condition, you would have been killed." Usopp got up from the bed on the floor and sat down in the offered chair. "Outsiders don't know anything about what's going on here." Usopp looked across the table at the silently sobbing child. "You're from Gosa, the neighboring town, aren't you? You should know well that if you fought them, you'd get killed. More than knowing well…"

"I know, I know! But… they were the ones who killed my dad! They robbed us of everything, destroyed the village, and killed almost all of the people! I'll never forgive them! No matter what happens, I'll never forgive them!" he wiped at his tearful face with his arm. "So I headed for Arlong Park, but some woman of the gang blocked me off!" Usopp leaned forward at hearing this, his captain's words ringing in his head. "She's like some sort of witch! An orange-haired witch!" Usopp nearly spat out his drink. It was Nami! "It was horrible! I'll have my revenge against Arlong, even if I die!"

"Then go drop dead." This time, Usopp did do a spit-take, causing a rather large puddle on the floor to appear. "Getting yourself killed would be a great 'revenge'." Usopp wiped off tendrils of tea from his mouth. "But remember this. Your life has been saved twice by both me and the witch at Arlong park." She stood up and walked away. "Drink your tea and leave."

"Hey! Don't you think that's a little harsh for the kid?" Usopp retorted. Nojiko turned around, an expression Usopp couldn't read in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter if he's a kid or not. If he wants to die, why not let him? He doesn't have the will to live in these harsh times!"

"What are you trying to say?" the orange farmer looked down.

"I always look to the future. I know of a child who chose to live, who lives a life that is more painful than death. That's why I hate people who want to go off and die like this kid here!" the boy continued to sob, tears streaming down his face.

"What… what should I do? I'll… I'll try my best to hold it in. but what should I do?" Nojiko looked over.

"…your mother?"

"She's okay." Nojiko smiled.

"She must be worried about you. Go back to your mom." The kid sniffled.

"okay." He said in a small voice. Usopp looked up at Nojiko, newfound respect in his eyes. Usopp watched the boy get up, walk out the door and through the orange fields. He chuckled.

"You're a pretty nice gal… even though you've got tattoos."

"A common stereotype. Speaking of which, I still don't know who _you _are." Usopp felt the urge to lie, but decided to hold it back.

"I'm Usopp. That orange-haired witch he was talking about… that was Nami, wasn't it?" Nojiko turned around, surprise in her eyes.

"You know Nami?" Usopp nodded.

"She was in our crew before she defected. She's one of Arlong's group, isn't she?" Nojiko nodded. "It's just like Luffy said! She truly betrayed us! But…" he stroked his chin. "She doesn't want to be in that crew, does she?" Nojiko nodded, her surprise growing.

"Wow. Who's this Luffy? He knows a lot."

"He's… my captain." Nojiko looked at him.

"You're a pirate?" Usopp nodded.

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Luffy tapped his chin. "Geez, I feel like I'm forgetting something…" he snapped his fingers, before screaming. "AHHH! I FORGOT TO TELL THEM!" he waved his hand over the choppy water, pulled along by Mohmoo. He felt in the air, feeling around for his crew. "Zoro and Kuro can keep a secret, and Johnny won't have any chance to say anything… but Usopp…" he felt his sharpshooter's signature. He grinned. "Lucky! He's near water!" he concentrated. "Hmm… not enough for a clone, and I don't feel like traveling there…. what to do…" he snapped his fingers. "I got it!" he sat down and concentrated.

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"Yeah, we're pirates. I'm the sharpshooter and co-captain." Usopp thumbed his chest.

"I doubt that, Usopp." Usopp whirled around.

"Luffy!" there was nobody there. But Usopp had definitely heard his voice. "Luffy? Where are you?"

"Down here." Luffy said. Nojiko looked down and nearly screeched. Usopp looked down between his legs and did screech. Luffy's face was reflecting out of the spilled tea on the floor. He grinned. "Neat, huh?"

"UWAAAA!" the cowardly sniper leaped away. "How'd you do that!"

"New trick I thought up. I haven't had a chance to use it. I have another trick, but I figured you'd faint if I used it." He shook his head. "That doesn't matter! You know what I told you on the boat?" Usopp nodded. "Keep that on the down-low! If that information got out, bad things will happen to all involved parties! Got it?" Usopp gulped and nervously nodded. Luffy 'turned' around and nodded and Nojiko. "Hey, Nojiko."

"How do you know my name!" she yelled. He shrugged.

"Lucky guess." The face twisted, confusion showing. "Something's come up. Gotta go!" the face faded, and all that was left was a puddle of tea. Usopp gulped.

"I should be used to that with him, but it just doesn't get any less freaky."

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"See? You two following me now?" Nami leaned in front of Kuro and Zoro. "From the beginning, I've only been using you. You guys aren't too shabby at fighting. You were a useful bunch." Arlong laughed.

"Shahahahahahaha! You were blindly deceived, weren't you? She can even forget he mother's death for the sake of money. This woman's a cold-blooded witch." Zoro watched Nami's eyes flash with unadulterated horror. "You shouldn't have underestimated her." Zoro smirked. He nodded at Kuro.

"We get the picture." Nami refocused on them. "I never trusted her from the beginning. I wouldn't be surprised even if she was a murderer."

"If you understand, then get lost! You two are an eyesore!" Kuro nodded. Zoro leaned back over the water.

"You hear that, Luffy? She wants us out of here! Take us away!" both Kuro and Zoro leaped backwards into the water and disappeared with a trail of bubbles. Nami stared with horror-stricken eyes as she watched two men drown before her very eyes.

"What? Why did they both jump in the pool all of a sudden?" another merman chuckled.

"Did somebody say a bad joke?"

"No, it's like they jumped in because of one." One of the faceless mermen said.

"Then they must be trying to escape!"

"With their hands and feet tied up? I bet it's suicide." Arlong huffed.

"Che. Forget them." Nami heard none of this as she watched the steady stream of bubbles dwindle down to nothing.

"Never thought they'd both commit suicide. They looked too good to give up that easily." Nami made a decision as she cast aside her shoes. But then something she could have never predicted happened.

Two massive spouts of water shot into the air and deposited two drenched bodies on the cement. Zoro spat out blood. "Dammit, Luffy! That hurt! She said she didn't want to join!" Arlong stood up quickly.

"What in hell was that?" Kuro shifted his face away from the broken shards of his glasses.

"That was our captain. And apparently he wants us to stay here." Arlong grabbed the two.

"Well, then, it would be rude to refuse your leader's generosity, _wouldn't it?_" he tossed the two bodily to Kuroobi and Chuu. "Lock them up. I want to know about this 'captain' of theirs, and dead men tell no tales." The two nodded and dragged them off to a stone room in the back. The two pirates were thrown in, and the door slammed shut. Kuro struggled to a sitting position.

"Well. That didn't go the way I thought it would go." Kuro unclenched his fist, revealing a sliver of glass. "But it worked to our advantage nonetheless. Once I'm done, I'll pass the glass over to you. Keep your ropes tight until they're asleep or gone." Zoro nodded, impressed.

"I'm impressed you had the foresight."

"It's not the first time I've been captured like this. One of the reasons I left pirating." Nothing further was said as Kuro continued to saw at the ropes.

Nami was contemplating the disturbing turn of events when a merman came running in. "Arlong-san! Arlong-san!" the head merman turned around.

"What's up, friend?"

"There was this long-nosed man who was the two captured men! He got away from me! I think he was heading to cocoyashi village, but…" Arlong looked away and grinned.

"Cocoyashi village? Excellent timing. I have some errands to run there. Shall I pay them a visit?" Nami clenched her fist in silent anger. Arlong noticed this. "Ah, Nami. Are you angry about something?" she remained silent. Arlong leered. "Are you angry that you haven't seen your villagers in a long time?" Nami still remained silent, though blood was starting to seep down he palm from where the nails bit into the skin. "In that case, you can come with me! Come with me while I run errands there. You have no objections… correct?" Nami stiffly nodded, though inwardly she was seething. "Then we are in agreement! To cocoyashi village!"

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"Arlong's coming!" a villager shouted.

"What?" a gruff voice spoke. The sound of a pinwheel twirling in the air slowly ground to a halt.

"What's going on? We just paid the tributes." The villager spoke. The gruff voice sank to the ground next to an umbrella.

"Maybe he's come to punish me for weapons possession. Everyone, get in your homes."

"Gen-san…"

"Here they come!" Genzo looked up and saw the approaching group of mermen. He waved rapidly for the villagers to move. One by one, they filed into their homes as Arlong leaned over the pinwheel man.

"Was it you? The one who has the damned weapon?" Genzo looked down at his knees.

"Yes, I am. I just love admiring it. Is it wrong for one of your subjects to have a weapons collection?"

"Yeah, 'cause it'll bring in trouble. Weapons only draw in evil and violence. It's a main factor in disturbing the peace." Usopp peered around the walls of a building and stammered madly.

"He's huge! That's Arlong! He's no human alright!" Nojiko nodded.

"Well, he is a merman…"

"I've got twenty villages and towns under my control. Rebels are a pain in the ass. As ruler, I destroyed Gosa as a warning. The fact that they refused to pay their tributes was an indication of their rebellion." Usopp looked to the tattooed woman near him.

"What tribute?"

"It's exactly like he says. It's money we offer to him. Every month, we spend money to buy our own lives, be it adults or children. If somebody can't afford to pay it, even if there's only one, the town will be destroyed like Gosa." Usopp gulped.

"Th-the town was flipped upside down like that because of one person?"

"That's how Arlong works. They are racists who don't give a damn about toying with and killing human lives."

"Understand? Low-life humans should think of nothing but ways to give money to me. I need lots of funds. The tributes that you offer will be the foundation for the Arlong Empire that will dominate the east blue!" Usopp choked on his spit.

"Arlong empire…?" Nojiko remained silent. "Are they planning to dominate the whole east blue as a merman empire?"

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Kuro flexed his hands and broke his bonds with an audible 'snap!' as he began to work on his feet. "Excellent. My hands are free." As he leaned forward, however, he felt something jab him in the side. Kuro opened up his coat and peered in. "well. We seem to have an unexpected stroke of luck. They forgot to take away my claws." He slid on his bladed hands and sliced through his ropes with a clean flick. He did the same for Zoro. Zoro stood up, massaging his wrists. "Zoro. You need to be my eyes, as my sight right now is abysmal. Are there any guards out there?"

"Yeah. It looks like the half-fish bastard and some of his cronies are gone, but the majority are still there." Kuro pushed up the remains of his glasses with the palm of his hand. "Damn… if I had my sword right now I could do something, but…"

"Get inside the cell, and don't come out until I tell you to. I don't want to slice you up in the mayhem. This is as good an opportunity to escape as we'll get." Kuro walked out of the room, swaying on his feet. One of the mermen quickly saw him.

"Hey! You! The prisoner has escaped!"

"Cat out of the bag."

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Arlong slammed a massive fist into Genzo's stomach, toppling over the umbrella shading them. He grabbed the relatively tiny man by the throat. Nojiko gasped.

"Gen-san!" Usopp stared at the spectacle playing out in front of him.

"It's rebellious enough just by having a weapon. In order to prevent any other rebels from you humans, I'll kill you right here, right now." Genzo craned his head the little amount that he could and looked at the faces staring at him from the windows. The one face that caught his attention, however, was not in any window.

'Nami…' he wished he could talk, to be able to say something, anything to the woman, silently shaking with rage, biting her lip hard enough to bleed. 'Nami… I'm so sorry you had to see this… I won't live to see our day of freedom…'

"How can you be so selfish, Arlong!" Nojiko screamed. Arlong craned his head to see the latest disturbance. Genzo struggled, freeing enough of him to breath. "We've been offering tributes to you now for eight years, without fail! There's no way we'd even think about rebelling, is there! Let him go!" Genzo tried to speak, to tell her to be quiet, to not get killed like the fool he himself was, when he heard the doors of the streets clatter open.

"She's right!" "He didn't even use any weapons!" "Let him go!" "Please don't!" Genzo tried to shout at them 'what are you doing! Save yourselves! Don't die for my sake!' but all he managed was a half-hearted gurgle.

"I also said that weapons possession was a form of rebellion." He leered at the crowd. "Or are your thoughts otherwise? Do you want me to dig up this village? If anyone goes against us, then don't expect anything less than the demise of this village. I don't care what you choose." The hand throttling him loosened the tiniest fraction, and Genzo could speak.

"Everyone, get back inside! It's useless to fight them now. If we could defeat them, we would have done it eight years ago! But we swore, 'let's outlast them! Let's have patience be our weapon!'" Arlong hoisted him higher.

"Now, isn't that touching! Nicely said! Of course you can be happy for being alive! Even worthless pests like you!" he tossed the sheriff of cocoyashi village to the ground, causing him to hack up blood. Nami snapped.

"Arlong! We can't kill him!" she shouted. The entire village centered on her, realizing for the first time that she was there.

"Nami…" Arlong hoisted the man up again.

"Oh? And why can't I kill the low-life human that resists me?" Nami bit her lip, trying to hastily come up with a plausible reason for his life to be spared. Arlong snorted. "Let this be a warning!"

"Exploding star!" a voice shouted as Arlong exploded in gunpowder and smoke. Genzo toppled to the ground from the head merman's suddenly limp grip. The merman gasped in surprise before looking around for the mysterious attacker.

"Look! Up there!" one of them exclaimed as he pointed up to a rooftop, where a figure was standing. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am the brave captain of the sea, c-captain Usopp!"

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As Kuro slowed to a shuddering halt, Zoro whistled. He had seen the whole spectacle through the bars of the cell door, and he was faintly impressed. "Very impressive. Though a bit out of control. What if you sliced up your teammates?" Zoro pushed open the door, noting the huge gashes in the metal. "You almost did, in fact."

"It is why I did not want you in the available vicinity." Kuro pushed up the remains of his glasses. "Luffy would have my hide if I hurt one of his nakama." He looked at the general direction of Zoro. "For him, nakama is everything, almost to a point of fanaticism." Zoro walked towards one of the building's doors, noting the gash marks there as well. "I have been around Luffy for very little, and yet I can already tell this. It is subtle, but it is there." Zoro pushed open the door, peered around, and slammed it shut. "I do not know what his past is like, but he must have lost someone that he considered his nakama, probably a large group of them."

"You read Luffy like an open book, don't you?" he pushed open another door, looked inside, and spotted his katana. "There it is!" he grabbed it off of its position of leaning against the wall and strapped it to his side.

"I rarely miss things. One small detail that goes unnoted can cause an entire plan to crumble to its knees. Knowing how to read people as well as the surroundings is paramount to me." Zoro nodded.

"Very well, then." He looked down at the body beneath him, noting that it was still breathing. "You didn't do a very good job, Kuro. This one's still breathing." He looked around. "It looks like almost, if not all of them are still alive." Kuro looked up, faintly surprised.

"Really?" Zoro nodded. "That is unexpected. Though I must blame the outcome on the broken glasses. What little sight I had during my attack must have been destroyed. But are you certain that all of them are still alive?" Zoro looked around.

"Yep. I'm sure. None of them will be doing any fighting in the near future, but I think they'll all live." Kuro pushed up his glasses before taking off his cat claws.

"We can't kill them now. We've already bested them. Killing them would violate our honor." Zoro looked up, surprised.

"You know the swordsman's code?" Kuro nodded.

"Yes. Though our blades may be different, and our methods and morals may be different, the act that we both follow the way of the sword still exists." He chuckled. "Though I am more prone to 'ignore' those ways if it suits me." Zoro sat down in the throne casually, hands lung behind his neck.

"So… now what are supposed to do? Our only entertainment lies dying on the floor." Kuro reached into his coat and pulled out a small deck of cards. Zoro arched an eyebrow. The former butler waved the deck around.

"Tell me… have you ever played poker, Zoro?"

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"Go! To Arlong park!" Luffy shouted to Mohmoo. The giant sea cow mooed in response as it barreled along on the sea. Yosaku stood staring at the crashing waves as Sanji clutched his head amusedly. "Wait for me, Nami!"

"MOOoo MooOO, MOOmoo!" (I'm going as fast as I can, my liege!) The sea cow 'yelled' into the water. Luffy nodded.

"I know! And I thank you for that!" Luffy flicked his hands and the boat sped up considerably, sending Yosaku rolling to the back of the boat. Mohmoo yelped as the massive wave caught it as well. "But now we're going even faster!"

"MOOOOO!" (AAAAHH!)

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Usopp was panting heavily as he leaped out of the tall grass of the plains. He cautiously looked back, and saw the rustle of disturbed grass indicating his pursuers. "Damn! I can't outrun them?" Usopp yelped as he tripped on the ground and fell into the bushes. He immediately improvised. The mermen converged on the area.

"Where'd he go?"

"Anybody who thinks Usopp-sama shouldn't die now, raise their hands!" a crackly voice said from the foliage. A shadowy silhouette shot up.

"Yes!" it immediately drifted away, only to be replaced by another. "Yes!" another. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the merman grinned stupidly.

"The idiot! What does he think he's fooling?" they tiptoed into the bushes towards a figure that hadn't disappeared.

"You guys think so too? So do I!" the mermen leaped on him with a grunt, only to realize they had grabbed a piece of tree. Three eggs flew through the air.

"Killing move! Egg star!" the eggs exploded on impact with the mermen's faces, covering them with the rotten substance. Usopp quickly grabbed his goggles from the log and ran as they clawed at the runny fluid. Usopp cackled as he weaved through the high grass.

"How's that! Mermen aren't that great! No matter what, captain Usopp will always escape!" his foot tumbled off of the cliff and Usopp drew back instinctively. "Crap… I didn't know I'd gotten to the beach already!" the shuffling of grass behind him turned his blood cold. He spotted the tree on the ledge and immediately leaped for it.

"Over here! We've got him!" the lead merman cried as he walked to the cliff. As his foot touched air he stopped. A bird landed on a mysterious black splodge on the tree, which in actuality was Usopp's hair.

"There's nothing here."

"Were we mistaken?"

"That guy does run fast."

"Let's look somewhere else." The fish-men turned and walked away, leaving Usopp crying comical tears of joy.

'Thank god…' the bird perched on his head pushed off and flew away, and that was all it took to destabilize him and send him toppling down the cliff. He landed in a pile of himself. He looked around. "Huh? What? What the?" he waved his arms around, checking that yes, they were both still attached. He grinned stupidly and shot up. "Yes, yes! Thank you for cheering me on! As you can see, I'm fine…" the water in front of him exploded, and Chuu was standing in front of him, a malevolent look on his face.

"Maybe a little too fine?" Usopp's blood chilled.

'That's true…'

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"You are good at this game, Zoro. Are you sure that you have never played before?" Kuro questioned as he raked in his small winnings from that pot. He shrugged.

"My entire life has been swordsmanship, training, and booze. I've never had time to try gambling. You should understand that, Kuro." Kuro pushed up the remains of his glasses.

"You should try it sometime. You seem to be enjoying yourself now." Zoro shrugged again.

"Yeah, it's pretty fun. Kind of boring playing against just you, though." Kuro nodded.

"Yes, it is rather dull. It will rarely be just two players, however." Any other topics for conversation were cut off as a voice behind the walls started speaking bizarre words.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! This one's awesome! Even I, a member of Arlong's elite, hachi-hatchan, can't pull it up! It must be a super-great fish!" Zoro quirked an eyebrow as he pointed multiple times over at the wall with three fishing poles. Kuro nodded, and the two began to sneak over. "I don't know where you came from, but your gusto is the east blue's best!" a pair of pants with a hook in them were pulled into sight. "wh-what the? Huh? Oh, it was myself." The lines snapped, and the pants fell out of view. Kuro and Zoro pulled themselves up to the top of the wall as Hatchan pulled himself upright with his six arms. "truly, my gusto is east blue's best." He looked up. "anything strange?"

"very strange." Kuro pushed up his glasses. Hatchan nodded before noticing who he was talking to.

"what? Who the heck are you?" his face shifted as he pointed to himself. "m-me?" he grinned. "I'm Hatchan. Call me Hachi."

"you're a merman too?" Zoro asked. Hatchan puffed up his chest.

"of course! Of course!" he started waving his arms like a hula dancer. "I'm a charming octopus man! Do I look human to you?"

"I guess not…" Zoro said, staring at the suckers on the octopus man's arms.

"are you with the marines or are you a guest?"

"guest?" Zoro looked over his back at the bodies of the still softly moaning mermen.

"yes, we are guests." Kuro answered Hatchan.

"but you know, Arlong's not here right now, right?" Zoro leaned back on the wall.

"yeah. Where'd he go, anyways?"

"I heard there was a long nosed stranger who was trying to run away. they say there were two that were captured and held here though." Hatchan's fishing poles popped back into working. "Arlong went to cocoyashi village to catch him." Zoro sighed.

'so Usopp's been discovered… guess we'd better go save him…' Zoro stood up and jumped down off the wall. Kuro followed suit.

"how do we get to this cocoyashi village?" Kuro asked the octopus. He merely jerked a thumb at the giant brown pot floating in the water.

"get in. I'll take you there, swordsman and gentleman." Zoro clenched his fist on his sword while Kuro pushed up his glasses. He immediately jerked his head towards the door, where it was slowly creaking open. He looked at Zoro sharply, who nodded. he had heard it too. The two got into the rather cramped pot, as the octopus jumped into the water and looped his multiple arms through the ropes. The merman swiftly took off as both men heaved a silent sigh of relief.

Along was seeing red. He rushed to one of the still conscious members of his crew. "what happened here! What happened?" he wheezed a shuddering breath. "MY COMRADES!"

"Roronoa…" the merman breathed. Arlong hoisted his face up to his ear.

"what?"

"Roronoa Zoro… and some other man." Arlong's eyes widened.

"what? The pirate hunter? He's come for my head?" the merman coughed up blood.

"no… he didn't 'come'. The green-haired guy… was Roronoa. And the other… was a man named Kuro." Arlong's eyes widened. He had heard of Kuro of the thousand plans.

"WHAT? Roronoa Zoro and the dead Kuro of a thousand plans?" the merman slumped in his grip, sweet unconsciousness overtaking him. Chuu strolled through the gates, dragging Usopp by the nose.

"I got him, Arlong-san." He choked on his spit when he saw the sight in front of him. "wh-what's… all this…?"

"took you long enough, Chuu." Usopp stared at the scene in front of him.

'don't tell me Zoro and Kuro…' the evil look in Arlong's eye answered all his unspoken questions.

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"we've arrived. Cocoyashi village." Hatchan stated as Kuro and Zoro stepped out of the octopus pot. "Arlong-san should be in this village." Kuro nodded.

"thank you for your time." Hatchan waved.

"no problem. later!" he jumped in the water and began dragging off the pot. He immediately surfaced. "oh! I didn't ask your names!" he pointed with all six arms to himself. "me? you want to hear my name again? It's Hatchan. Come again!" he dove down and swan off. Kuro pushed up his broken glasses.

"what an odd character."

"yeah." The two finished this brief conversation and ran off to cocoyashi village.

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And, we, are… DONE!

This is the twelfth chapter of The Will of D! Zoro and Kuro have escaped, only for Usopp to be captured! What will Arlong do to Usopp? What will happen with the two swordsman's newfound friendship? And when the heck will Luffy get ashore? Find out… next chapter!

Five reviews gets the next chapter when I feel like it, ten gets it ASAP.

Review. You know you want to.


	13. The Death Of Innocence

Hello, everybody! This is The Animaniac Dude, posting chapter unlucky thirteen! (I'm superstitious) will this somehow affect the story? Will the number thirteen affect what happens now? You'll have to read and find out! enjoy~~~!

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Disclaimer: 'fends off lawyers with fire poker' I'm not saying it! I'm not saying it!

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Usopp felt his blood temperature drop to an all-time low when the knife thudded next to his face. "But you're one of Zoro and Kuro of a thousand plans' comrades?" the blade inched along its groove. Centimeter by centimeter, it neared Usopp's nose. The long-nosed sharpshooter started sweating bullets. "It's normal to be hunted by a bounty hunter. But a dead man? And working together? I think not."

"H-help me! I'm not in league with those two!" Usopp pleaded.

"Chu. Stop telling such pathetic lies. You attacked Arlong-san, right? Either way, there's no saving you." Usopp immediately switched his argument to save his life.

"wh-what are you trying to say? Zoro, Kuro and I are b-buddies! If you hurt me, they won't stand for it at all!" the dagger slid further and further towards Usopp's phallic nose.

"are you saying that if we kill you, Zoro and the dead man will come here?" Usopp started crying tears of fear.

"n-n-no, that's not right! Killing me is very bad! If you keep me alive, those two will surely appear! If you kill me, they'll definitely stay away!" the mermen sweatdropped at this strange logic. Nami stepped out from behind the door.

"your lies are as pathetic as ever, Usopp. Are you still the same weasel desperately clasping at life?" Usopp began to speak, asking her why she had joined, before Luffy's words rang in his head, silencing his tongue.

"_if that information gets around, bad things will happen to all involved parties!" _Usopp swallowed his pride (a difficult thing for him under the circumstances) and began to weave his most important lie ever.

"Nami! What are you doing with these mermen!" her eyes were shaded as she grinned a sinister grin.

"I am part of this invincible crew." Usopp growled. He surreptitiously looked around to see if anybody was buying his act. To his surprise, they were. 'they don't suspect a thing!' he was emboldened by this, but once again swallowed his pride. He had to stay sharp. He couldn't let any of them know he was tricking them.

"part of the mermen's crew! You betrayed us!" Nami giggled evilly.

"you guys were really gullible. You actually thought I was one of your nakama. How idiotic. I live and die by money. That's all you ever were. A big source of money." Usopp was completely fooled by her acting. 'or…' Usopp thought with a cold sliver of dread sneaking down into his stomach. 'she isn't acting, and Luffy was completely fooled.' The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Kuroobi walked forward.

"Arlong-san. They apparently sawed their way through the ropes with this." He held out the large shard of glass. Arlong spat and swatted the proffered object away, breaking it under his heel.

"your friends are creative ones. Sawing through their ropes with the broken shards of glass…" the blade inched closer to Usopp's nose, close enough for him to feel the cold steel. "I'll humor you, long nose. I'll spare your life. Besides…" he grinned a toothy grin. "A hostage always attracts attention. They'll come running."

"wh-what is this!" Hatchan stared at a body of a merman floating in the water with horrified eyes. "what happened here!"

"it's the work of pirate hunter Zoro and a dead man. More importantly, where were you, Hachi? If you were here, this wouldn't have happened." Hatchan leaped out of the water and gesticulated wildly.

"of course, of course! If I had been here, this wouldn't have happened!" his eyes went white with rage. "this is beyond forgiveness!"

"so in other words, you have no idea where Zoro and Kuro of a thousand plans went?" Hatchan stroked his chin.

"now that you mention it, there was a strange swordsman and a gentleman here…" his face went blue with shock as he realized who he had helped escape. "you mean it was them!" the mermen went slack-jawed at their superior's stupidity.

"so you did see them! You idiot! Where did the two go?"

"since they wanted to see Arlong, I took them to cocoyashi village!"

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"what! You mean that Usopp was captured by that half-fish bastard?" Zoro slammed his fist against the wall, pinning a terrified villager to the wall.

"h-he was just taken to Arlong park! He's probably dead by now!" Zoro stared at his hand, letting the man slump to the ground.

"shit. That means while we were killing time playing poker, Usopp got caught." Kuro pushed up his mangled glasses.

"go find him, Zoro. I have to stay here to get new glasses. Without my eyesight, I am a liability in battle." Zoro nodded before running off on the forest trail.

"Usopp! Stay alive!" Kuro turned to the villagers.

"where is the nearest optometric office?"

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"then there's nothing to worry about. It means that he's looking for me as well." Arlong grinned. Hatchan spread his arms wide sheepishly.

"well, he said he was Arlong-san's guest! I didn't think you would return so quickly!" Usopp grinned.

'Zoro is… that means that if I can buy myself some more time…!' Nami looked over at him and grabbed him by the arm before he could do a thing. She yanked him up and pulled out a length of rope, swiftly imprisoning him in the bonds. Usopp struggled in vain. The cold sliver of dread had solidified. Nami was not acting. Luffy had been fooled. "Nami! I'm disappointed in you! Luffy doesn't doubt you one bit! Even after you steal his ship, he still believes in you! he told us you still belonged to us!" Nami's breath caught in her throat. "but you lied! You lied to all of us! How can you so calmly deceive someone like him!"

"the only thing that I trust is money!" she said with a catch in her throat. "he's an idiot for being fooled." Usopp twisted his head round and bit her hand. Nami screamed and let go. The bonds around him went slack, as she had not yet had time to tie him up. he swiftly reached into his pouch and threw a pellet on the ground. "smoke star!" the area exploded in smoke, obscuring any and all vision. Usopp towards the water, intent on swimming his way out while they were still distracted. It was not to be.

"shark on darts!" Arlong yelled as he launched himself at the last place their hostage had been. Usopp did not make a sound as the razor-sharp nose of Nokogiri Arlong penetrated his chest. Usopp gurgled only when Arlong pushed the dying man off of him into the water. Usopp floated downward into the pool in a cloud of his own blood. Nami stared with terrified, horrified, fearful eyes as her hand shot up to her mouth. Usopp was dead. Usopp was DEAD. Arlong never left any survivors. Usopp was dead. Bt he couldn't be dead… they were coming to save her… but she saw him die… Arlong cackled maniacally.

"SHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Let's see if you come running now, Roronoa Zoro and Kuro of the thousand plans! SHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Johnny stumbled back with crying eyes.

"Usopp-aniki was killed… by Arlong!" he fell back on his butt, the sensory overload of his friend being murdered in cold blood. "monster… monster… he's a monster!" he turned and ran, away from that place of death, away from his friend's grave, away from the murderer named Arlong.

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"Hey, Mohmoo! Twist off to the right a little bit! We're not ready to enter Arlong's base yet!" Luffy commanded the 'steed' of the boat as the sea cow did as it commanded. Sanji stepped up.

"what do you mean, we're not ready?"

"I mean that we still have to find Zoro, Usopp and Kuro!" Luffy grinned, though he knew that right about now Usopp was 'dying' because of Nami. He didn't want to mess with that too much. "who knows what monsters Arlong has lying in wait there. we'll want all the help we can get!" Mohmoo yelled at Luffy as they continued on a collision course with a mountain of rock. "alright, Mohmoo! You've done your part!" Luffy stretched his arms down. "Mizu Mizu CANNON!" the indent around the boat exploded up as the boat soared through the skies. Mohmoo sank back down to its den, its job done. Luffy whooped as the other two passengers in the boat held on for dear life. "WOOHOO! It's just like we're flying!"

"It's not 'like'!/we're REALLY flying, you…!" the two screamed in unison. Yosaku screeched. "WE'RE FALLING!" the boat sank down beneath the treetops as Luffy laughed and Sanji screamed. The boat crashed into the ground and continued its forward momentum. Luffy laughed. "we're still going!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Sanji screamed at his captain. Luffy merely turned and stuck out his tongue at him. he turned back and saw his first mate on the path. "YO! Zoro! Hang on tight!" Zoro yelled out in surprise as the boat crashed into him, sending him careening with them along their trail of destruction. The boat skidded across a water field of rice and crashed into the cliff behind them, sending broken timbers and articles of various assortments flying in the air. Luffy dusted off his hat, miraculously unharmed. "that was fun! Let's do that again!"

"NO!" Yosaku and Sanji screamed at him. Zoro pushed his way out of the wreckage.

"you bastard… WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" he yelled furiously. Luffy placed the straw hat back on top of his head.

"what do you mean? We came to find you and Kuro before we went for Nami. Where is he, anyways?"

"he's over at coco-something village getting new glasses. They broke when you launched us out of the water." Luffy looked up.

"hey, that's something I wanted to ask you! what the heck were you two doing? Were' you trying to commit suicide or something?" a tick on Zoro's head formed.

"we were trying to get you to get us out of there! I thought you were omniscient or something!" Luffy held out his arms.

"Hey, I'm only omniscient when I'm actually paying attention to being omniscient. If I'm not paying attention, I can't tell what's going on in the water." He scratched his head. He remembered what he was supposed to say now. "say, wasn't Usopp with you? where is he?" Zoro cursed.

"that's right… the idiot got himself caught by the mermen. We have to go and rescue him before he gets killed!"

"he's dead." Johnny spoke, walking along the groove that the boat had left. Luffy ignored the pang in his heart, knowing that Usopp wasn't really dead, and that Nami had only been faking it. Johnny dropped to his knees, panting. "it's too late. Usopp-aniki is dead." Luffy tried to look suitably wide-eyed and shocked. Johnny punched the ground in helpless fury. "he was killed! By that monster Arlong!"

Those four words felt like a punch in the gut to Luffy. those four words, those four words that he had never heard before, those four words that were different felt worse than any beating in a fight that he had ever been in. 'by that monster Arlong! By that monster Arlong! By… monster Arlong! Monster Arlong! Arlong! Arlong!' Luffy slumped to the ground. This was not right. This was not right at all. This was horribly wrong. This was all wrong. Usopp was supposed to be killed by Nami. He can't be dead. He can't be truly dead. Arlong wasn't supposed to kill him. Nami was supposed to fake his death. He leaped to his feet and grabbed Johnny by the scruff of his collar. "You're lying! Usopp isn't dead! He can't be!"

"it is! Arlong stabbed him through the heart! I saw him fall into the pool in a puddle of his own blood! Usopp is dead!" Luffy punched Johnny in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"YOU'RE LYING! USOPP ISN'T DEAD!" he screamed. "Usopp can't die! He still hs to become a brave warrior of the sea! We still have to find One Piece! YOU'RE LYING!"

"I'M NOT LYING!" johnny yelled back.

"YES YOU ARE!" Luffy screamed hysterically, tears streaming down his face in torrents. He sank to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. This… this was worse than not having him as a nakama. This was worse than Usopp deciding not to join. This… to have had him as a nakama, lose him, come back to prevent it, only to lose him again… this was worse than not having made him his nakama at all. "you're lying… you're lying… you're lying through your teeth, dammit… Usopp isn't dead… he isn't! he's probably got a ketchup star handy… he faked his death… he's not dead…" Luffy sobbed as shudders wracked his body uncontrollably. A thump beside him did not break him from his reverie. It did for the others, however.

"Nami!" the woman sat beside Luffy, holding the crying teenager as he rocked back ad forth on his heels while fighting her own despair more successfully.

"Luffy… he's dead… Usopp's dead…"

"Usopp's not dead… Usopp's not dead…" the captain repeated over and over again as a mantra. "he's not dead… he's not dead…" Zoro grabbed Nami and pulled her away from Luffy.

"is it true? Did Arlong kill Usopp?" she shakily nodded her head. "god… what happened?"

"Usopp… he tried to make a break for it, and Arlong got to him…" Nami huddled close to herself. "it's horrible…" Luffy stood up, the tears on his face drying. "Luffy?"

Inside Luffy, something was changing. The rage, the disbelief, the sadness. All of his was hardening, cooling, sharpening. All feelings inside of Luffy's beating heart were transformed into cold, hard fury. The temperature around him dropped a good twenty degrees as the water in the air turned into frosty icicles. He turned around, a look in his eye that terrified everybody there, everybody who saw it.

"Nami…" he clenched his fist. "I'll kill him. I'll _destroy _him. I will kill everyone, I will mutilate every single merman inside Arlong park. I will slice them all into millions of pieces and I will destroy every single splinter of Arlong park because THEY KILLED USOPP!" he screamed. It took all of the men there to restrain him, to keep him from rushing off to Arlong park to make good his threat. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL KILL EVERY MERMAN THERE!"

"Luffy! no! we can't!" Sanji yelled at him as he feebly clutched at the furious man's waist. "we have to wait for the others!"

"I'LL KILL THEM ALL WITHOUT THE OTHERS! I CAN DO IT, JUST LET ME GO!" he screamed. Tremors wracked Nami's body.

"Luffy… please… don't… I don't want you to die too… please…" Luffy froze, sending the men toppling to the ground. Luffy cracked his knuckles.

"Zoro. Where is Kuro." Is wasn't a question. It was a command. Zoro stuttered a tiny bit at the foreign agent in his captain's voice.

"h-he was over in cocoyashi village. He had to get new glasses. Said he was a liability without them." Luffy crouched down and _leaped _over all of the trees, sending himself flying into the sky. He spotted the assortment of houses and launched his arm in that direction. The hand latched onto a flagpole, and Luffy soared towards cocoyashi village. He landed in the street with a massive explosion. Every one of the denizens rushed out to see if Arlong had reappeared to make good on his threat of destruction. Kuro walked out of the eye doctor's office, pushing up a new pair of slightly-too-big glasses.

"captain. What happened?"

"Usopp's dead." Kuro hissed slightly.

"who did it?"

"Arlong. We're going to destroy him now. Come with me." the captain of the Black Cat pirates began to walk, before a small boy began running through the streets, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"the marines are coming! The marines are coming!" he pointed off to the sea, and sure enough, there was a marine ship sailing towards cocoyashi village. "the survivors of gosa village contacted the government! The marines are here to rescue us!" Luffy looked at the ship, remembering something about the marines. A whirlpool, caused by the mermen. Luffy clenched his fist. His revenge would be set aside. He wouldn't let a single soul be killed by Arlong ever again. He slowly started walking towards the shore. "Kuro. Change of plans. We're saving that marine ship from itself." Kuro nodded, pushing up his glasses.

"as you wish, captain." Luffy stared at the ship waiting for it make it's move. Sure enough, a single cannon boomed out a report as a cannonball flew through the air. Luffy stomped his foot on the ground, and a plume of water shot up and snatched the iron ball out of the air. As the villagers gawked at this impossibility, Luffy began to write in the air with his finger.

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"what in the watery hells was that!" Purin Purin yelled as the cannonball was stolen out of the air. One of the marines under his command gasped and pointed down at the water.

"general! Look! Something's happening with the water!" purin purin stumbled over and looked where his soldier was pointing. He gaped. In the water, words were forming.

**Idiot. If I had let you connect that cannonball, you would have been destroyed utterly. **Purin purin drew back as if stung.

"who are you!" the words disappeared as new ones replaced them.

**I am… a friend. One that hates these mermen more than you could possibly know. you should leave before they come to kill you. **purin purin growled.

"but justice does not allow us to do that! we have to destroy these mermen!" the words wavered for a moment, before being whisked away and replaced with new ones.

**You… truly care about justice? **Purin purin nodded. the words disappeared before replaced with new, confident words. **Good. That is good! I like that! you are not like other marines I've met, who are petty and corrupt. **The words were replaced. **Listen. You cannot hope to defeat these mermen. They are out of your league. Leave them to me. I have a different idea of what you can do.**

"what?" the words reformed.

**There is a marine that comes here regularly, who wears a hat with weasel ears and laughs like a mouse. I think his name is Nezumi. It is my belief that he is taking payments from Arlong to keep his activities silent. Return to your headquarters and expose his duplicity. That is something that you can do. **By the end of this long statement, general Purin Purin was trembling.

"nezumi, you snake… I know the man. His treachery will not go unpunished."

**Good. Now go, before they send men to destroy you. I will take care of Arlong and his scum myself. **The words receded, and the sea it was written on began to act like normal sea again instead of flat paper. Purin Purin immediately held out his hand.

"wait! Who are you?" the sea flattened out, and the final message was written.

**My name… is Luffy. now go. **The sea dropped limply. Purin Purin was immediately walking the deck.

"you heard Luffy! we return to marine headquarters! We will expose the treacherous captain Nezumi! For the sake of justice!" the marines roared as the ship whirled about and began the trek home. On shore, the citizens of cocoyashi village watched in anger and confusion as the savior marine ship turned tail and ran. Luffy nodded and dropped his finger.

"there. we have saved lives from Arlong." Kuropushed up his glasses.

"are you sure it was wise, giving them your name?"

"it does not matter anymore. They know now. What now matters is avenging Usopp. Come, Kuro. We return to Arlong park." The two captains turned and slowly walked the path to the building where their nakama had died.

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Kronos sat up suddenly from his perch among the heavens. **"what…" **he peered deep within his all-knowing consciousness. **"one of my charges… he died. I can't have that." **Kronos stood from his throne, assessing his powers. **"hmmm… it's possible… it will tax my strength with such few followers, but it is doable… might even have enough to give him something…" **Kronos reached inward, grabbing hold of his power. He shaped it, molded it, fashioned his power until it suited his needs. He freed the power from himself and let it loose in the world. He immediately slumped down, exhausted. **"hurry, Luffy… I need more followers!"**

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doctor nako felt a tug at his soul, unlike anything he had ever felt before. "what…?" he immediately forgot the feeling as a thought gripped him. "you know what… I feel like taking a walk along the beach. And that's what I'll do." He stood up and walked out of the health clinic. "there aren't any patients in today, and I've never done it for fun, so why not?" he walked down the cobbled road, ignoring the massive crowd at the shoreline as he shuffled amiably down the sandy beach. "yeah… this is nice… relaxing, too…" he spotted a large shape on the tide. "whoa… that's some big flotsam… wonder what it is… he peered at it before gasping. "wait a minute! That's not flotsam! That's a body!" he rushed out into the water, grabbing hold of the person's arm as he dragged him in. he flipped the man onto his back and immediately did CPR. The man coughed up water almost immediately. Nako sighed. "thank god… he won't drown to death…" he unsnapped the man's overalls and peered inside. He gaped. "my god! That's one hell of a stab wound! We've got to get you to the clinic!"

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Doctor nako was wrapping the wound in gauze when the man sat up abruptly. "what? Hey, you shouldn't be up!" the man looked around the room.

"where am I?" doctor nako continued to wrap the wound in gauze.

"you're in my health clinic. Now lie down. You've got one nasty stab wound, and you shouldn't…" his voice trailed off when he realized the wound he was wrapping was no longer there. "what? But I was sure that…" the man stood up. he looked over at a bag haning form his shoulder. He snapped it open and looked at a care-worn green slingshot.

"cool! Is this mine?"

"well, it was with you when I found you, so…" the man turned and bowed.

"thank you for helping me, but I really need to get back to…" he thumbed his chin. "who do I need to get back to?" his stroked his chin. "come to think of it…" he turned to the doctor, who was still trying to figure out where the mysterious wound went. "hey, ossan! Do you know who I am?"

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and chapter thirteen is in the bag! Wow! I haven't gotten a chapter done this quickly in a long time! It's shorter than what I usually do, but I felt it was a good place to stop, so there! deal with it!

Usopp has been killed! Luffy is reeling from the death! And a mystery man who can't remember anything has appeared! What will happen next? Find out… in chapter fourteen of The Will of D!

I'd just like to give a shoutout to Swordude my favorite cousin! He's on here with that username as well! He hasn't written any stories yet, but if he does, I'd like you guys to go check them out!

Five review gets the chapter when I feel like it, and ten gets it ASAP!

Review. You know you want to.


	14. Sogeking

Hello, one and all! This is the fourteenth chapter of The Will of D! I hope you guys enjoyed the plot twist last chapter! I just have one thing to say:

You ain't seen nothing yet!

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Disclaimer: if somebody comes up to me and says that I own One Piece, I kick them in the balls.

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"Who you are…?" the doctor repeated. The man nodded.

"Yeah! I can't remember a thing! So, do you know who I am?" Nako shook his head. The man shrugged. "Ah, well! It's bound to come to me sooner or later!" he peered out the window at the village. "Say, where are we?"

"This is cocoyashi village. I suggest you get out of here quick. We've been dominated by a group of merman pirates for the past eight years. If they see you, they might kill you." the man shrugged, rubbing his temples. 'Pirate… why does that sound familiar… and mermen…?' a memory flashed by him.

'I am the great captain…' there was a name, he knew it, but it continually slipped from his grasp. He straightened up. "That's right! I'm a pirate captain!" he grinned. "That's what I needed! I'm a pirate! I'm not afraid of any stupid mermen! I'll take them all on! For I am a brave pirate captain of the sea!" he hunkered down immediately. Something about what he said sent another memory to him.

'I am a brave warrior of the sea! That's why they call brave captain…' the name slipped through his fingers once again. The man growled. Why couldn't he remember the name! "So you honestly don't know who I am?" the doctor peered at his face, before snapping his fingers.

"That's it! You were that boy who attacked Arlong! You shot Arlong with that very slingshot!" the man looked at the slingshot in his hand.

"Really?" he walked towards the man, only for something in his bag to clink. He snapped it open, curious. "Hey! These are some slingshot pellets! Cool!" he rattled around inside. "Wow, there are a lot in here! I must have been a whiz with this thing! Wonder if I've still got it?" he walked out of the house, gesturing for the doctor to follow. "Hey, doc! Pick out a target for me! I wanna see how good of a shot I am!" doctor Nako looked around, before pointing at an oddly shaped knot on a tree about fifty paces away.

"See that knot? Try that." the man pulled back on the slingshot and released in one swift motion, and the lead star sank right in the middle of the knot.

"That was easy! Let's try something else!" the doctor nodded before pointing at a weather vane shaped like a rooster high above them, about a hundred paces away.

"Shoot the eye out of that weather vane." The man pulled out another lead star, pulled back, lined up his sight and released, all within the space of two or three seconds. The vane twirled around, and when it stopped, the eye was gone. The doctor pointed at a knot on a house 150 paces away. "Let's see if you can get that."

"Yosh!" he pulled out one last lead star, lined up his aim, taking longer than usual. He let go, and the lead ball shot straight into the center of the knot. The doctor gaped.

"My god! I said that one as a joke! You actually got it!" he stroked his chin before looking around cautiously. "Have you ever used a gun before?"

"A gun? I wouldn't remember!" the doctor ran into the health clinic and disappeared. He came back with two matching flintlock pistols.

"Here. Take these. They have gunpowder but no bullets. It's a new model in south blue, with six rounds and a rapid-fire option. I just got them smuggled to me by my cousin in case a revolt happens. You could probably use them better than I could. Try them out." The man took the two pistols from him, hefting them about.

"Hmmm… not bad! I little hefty, but I can get used to that!" he snapped open the six-bullet cartridge. He fed some of his lead stars in. they fit perfectly. He snapped the cartridge shut. He cocked the gun and pointed at the knot on the tree with both guns. He emptied all twelve bullets at it. When the smoke cleared, there was only one hole in the tree. The man scratched his head. "What? I missed?" the doctor, not believing his eyes, pulled out a pocket knife and walked over to the knot. He chiseled away at the bottom of it, until twelve bullets rolled into his hand.

"I-impossible…" the man's eyes bugged out as he stared at the pistols in his hand. "You got all twelve bullets in the same hole… you're like the king of snipers… sogeki king…" the man looked up.

"Sogeki king… I like that!" he pointed his finger up. "Yosh! That will be my name! Sogeki king! I am the brave captain Sogeking!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

SMASH! A pot flew through the glass window as Nojiko walked back to her home. Nojiko looked up, startled as the crashing continued. She then realized the only person who could even do this. She exhaled and smiled wryly as she walked into the trashing of her home. "Aah. You made quite a mess." Nami ignored her as she huddled at the table, trying to fight the tremors running through her body. Nojiko immediately noticed this. "What's the matter?"

"He's dead… Usopp is dead…" Nojiko drew back.

"The long-nosed fellow from your crew?" Nami's head whipped up.

"You know him!" Nojiko nodded. Nami slumped down. "I saw him get killed in front of me… Arlong got to him before I could… I could have saved him…" Nojiko said nothing as her sister continued. "If could, if I had the choice, I would have stayed with them forever. And now one of them is gone forever…" Nojiko stood up and began to walk out of the house, before pausing at a window. Her eyes narrowed.

"Nami. We've got trouble. Marines." Nami whipped her head up. "They've probably come to get Arlong, but I'm not sure. Go out the back." Nami nodded, her self control back in place. Nojiko walked out the door and confronted the marines. Nami hesitated before placing an ear to the wall, intent on not leaving Nojiko. The head marine chuckled.

"Are you Nami, the thief?" Nami sucked in a breath. Nojiko snorted.

"That witch? She stopped living here years ago. She's with Arlong now."

"I find that doubtful. Our investigations have led us to believe that she is hiding stolen pirate treasure here." Nami hissed softly. "As of now, the government will now confiscate all of the stolen goods here." Nojiko gulped and laughed a little too forcedly.

"Are you deaf or stupid? There's no stolen treasure here! Instead of going after small-time thieves, you should be arresting Arlong!" the marine chuckled again.

"If there is no stolen treasure, then you won't mind if we search your property. Men!" he waved his arm. "Look for the stolen goods!" the marines fanned out into the orange groves, picking up shovels along the way. Nojiko's eyes widened before grabbing a shovel herself and hefting it onto her shoulders. She swung the metal end and struck a marine in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

"Don't you dare touch my orange groves!" she looked the marine straight in the eye. "Is this what the marines do now! Invade people's private property and cause damage when there's a pirate killing and destroying! If you're not here to help us, then get the hell out of here!" the marine matched her glare.

"Don't talk as if you're superior. Men! Continue the search!" the marines continued to fan out. "You still haven't found it? It's not like we're looking for a needle in a haystack! It's one hundred million beli, for god's sake!" Nami's eyes shot wide open as a lead weight dropped into her stomach.

"No…" she breathed.

'SHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' Arlong's laughter echoed in the annals of her mind. Genzo grabbed the marine by the scruff of his neck.

"Hey! How do you know the amount!" the marine looked down.

"Let go of me." Genzo shook him like a rag doll.

"You corrupt bastard! That money is for saving our village!" Nami sucked in yet another breath, the information being too much to bear. Nezumi chuckled.

"Are you saying this entire village is in on this theft and wishes to be arrested?" Genzo threw him to the ground and began to pummel him mercilessly. Nezumi screamed. "Gyaaahh! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

"NO!" Nami screamed as she ran out of the cottage. The thunder of the rifles drowned out her words as the sheriff of cocoyashi village buckled to the ground. Nami ground to a stop, staring with horrified eyes at the growing pool of deep red blood around her father-figure. Nezumi hauled himself up before looking over at Nami.

"Oh? You're here?" Nami ran to him and smashed his face in, the bone snapping with an audible crack. Nezumi fell to the ground, writhing in pain as he clutched his horribly mangled nose. "GYAAAAAAHH!" Nami hauled Genzo to his feet and hoisted the man onto her back. Once she was sure he was secure, she ran while the marines were still busy with attending to their fallen captain, with Nojiko trailing behind her. She ran like she had never ran before, to cocoyashi village. The only place where he could possibly be safe.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sogeki King held up his finished work, a pleased smile on his face. "Excellent! This is perfect! I never knew I was so good with my hands!" he strapped the newly created belt to his waist before shoving his two pistols into the enlarged belt loops. "Alright! I, brave captain Sogeking, am ready for anything!"

"HELP!" a girl's voice rang out. Sogeki King looked up. A girl with a fiery head of orange hair had run into the village, a bleeding man on her back. A tan girl with blue hair and extensive tattoos followed her. "Help! Genzo's been shot!" Sogeki King ran to where she had placed the man. He looked over the shoulders of the crowd that was already there as the doctor questioned her.

"Who did this?"

"The marines, working for Arlong." The crowd gasped. Nojiko nodded as Nami shuddered. "They stole all of the money to buy the village."

"Nami…" "Na-Chan…" the crowd murmured. Nami, as Sogeki King gathered her name was, stood up suddenly, her eyes shaded. She ran off down the dirt road. Sogeki King stepped forward.

"What money, doctor? What was that about buying the village?" the doctor looked up.

"You're still here?" he looked down. "This town has been taken over by the mermen. If Nami could get one hundred million beli, she could free cocoyashi village from Arlong. H had promised her that. But he…! He broke his word! We survived eight years, hoping for our freedom! But he broke his word!" Sogeki King growled.

"That bastard! Doing that so a kind girl like that! He preyed on her for eight years, and he deceives her!" he pulled out one of his guns. "I've only been here for a few hours, but I already know what I want! I want vengeance for that poor girl!" the crowd roared with approval. Sogeki King fired a shot into the air. "I want to make the man who made that girl suffer pay for what he has done!" the crowd roared again. He fired another shot, further riling them up. "I want to go kick some merman ass! Who's with me!"

"RAAAAAAAHHH!" the crowd cheered.

"Then grab whatever you can and LET'S FIGHT!" Sogeki King emptied all of his rounds into the air as the crowd rushed off into their homes, grabbing clubs, frying pans, pitchforks, poles with kitchen knifes taped to them. Sogeki King snapped open the guns and filled the cartridge with exploding rounds. He snapped the rounds shut with a flick of his wrist. He started shouting to the reassembled crowd. "You have been fighting for your lives for over eight years, for a hope that was doomed from the start! Now, I say that we take what's ours!"

"YEAH!" the crowd shouted.

"Wait!" Sogeki King turned around and looked, along with the rest of the crowd, at the approaching Nami, the smile on her face obviously a farce. "Just, just wait a little longer! I'm going to try again! I'm going to get the money! It'll be easier this time! I have lots of experience! It's okay, you don't have to worry!" she laughed hollowly. "Compared to before…" she gulped. "It's okay! I'm fine!" she walked forward, here eyes closed in a fake smile. Sogeki King stepped forward and embraced her in a hug. Nami's eyes snapped open at his voice.

"Nami, is it?" her eyes widened to impossible sizes at his voice. "They are willing to die for you. They cannot be denied. They want Arlong's head on a platter. So stand aside." Sogeki King gently pushed her to the side, Nami not resisting at all. "LET'S FIGHT!"

"YEAH!" the people charged by her as she stared at the leader of the ragtag mob.

"Usopp…" her knees gave out underneath her. "no… you're dead…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy glowed an evil aura as he silently walked through the forest, being more intimidating while silent. Kuro pushed up his glasses, walking just as silently as his captain. Luffy opened his senses, opened all the blocks to the Mizu Mizu fruit, and let the power sweep over him. He felt his veins grow thick with power. Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes wide. "Nami… Kuro, go to Arlong Park and wait for me there. I have unattended business to take care of." He disappeared in a swirl of water. Kuro nodded to the empty clearing.

"As you wish, Luffy."

Luffy reappeared from a rivulet of blood as Nami continued to stab at the tattoo on her arm, oblivious to his sudden appearance. "ARLONG! ARLONG!" ARLONG! ARLO-" Luffy grabbed the knife out of her hand. Nami turned around, her face streaming with tears. The sight of her, crying and covered with her own blood struck a primal chord in Luffy. One that he embraced. "Luffy…"

"Don't do that, Nami. I can feel you doing that." Nami looked down, crying.

"He… he…" she shuddered, the sobs wracking her body. "Luffy… please, leave… you may be like a monster, but you can't fight… a real one…"

"I can't do that." he replied in a calm voice. She grabbed a handful of sand and attempted to toss it at his face. All she managed to do was to kick up a cloud.

"GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! Go away! Go away…" her protests died out as she descended into a sobbing wreck. "Usopp's alive, so please… leave…" Luffy's eyes widened to the maximum, but restrained his voice. "He went off to die again… I don't want you guys to die…" she sobbed more for what felt like minutes, before turning to him. "Luffy… help me…"

Luffy said nothing, his eyes shaded. With slow preciseness, he grabbed his hat off of his head and placed it on Nami. He laid a hand on her wound and pushed, clotting the blood flow. He took a few steps forward before screaming to the heavens.

"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Nami's eyes widened as she realized what Luffy had just done.

"_That's a pretty precious hat you have there." Luffy smiled._

"_Aye. That it is. This is my most treasured possession. I wouldn't let this out of my sight for the world." _

Nami looked at his retreating figure, tears crying once again. "Luffy…"

Luffy had remembered why he was fighting. That feeling of being stabbed in the arm, that feeling of absolute hopelessness when he had been omniscient, the feeling of tears and blood in Nami. That was why he was fighting. Not because he hated Arlong, not because Arlong had tried to kill Usopp. It was because he had made her cry. That was why he was fighting. Because he never wanted to see her cry again. Luffy looked at the three figures in front of him. "Zoro. Sanji. Gin. I thought I told you to go to Arlong Park."

"You did tell us that." Sanji started.

"But we just didn't want to listen." Zoro continued.

"Where you go, we go." Gin finished. Luffy nodded.

"Let's go." The three looked up.

"Right!" they got up and walked shoulder to shoulder, cutting an imposing figure. Nami felt her tears dry up. These people, these _nakama_. They were all fighting for her. Because she was unhappy, they were willing to fight to the death.

"Luffy…"

Luffy looked up at the single figure in the road, sighing. "Does nobody listen to my commands anymore? What is this, Kuro?" Kuro pushed up his glasses, his cat claws already donned.

"You seemed extremely agitated about something, Luffy. I thought it might be best if I didn't leave you alone. Who knows what could happen when you're anxious?" Luffy chuckled silently.

"Very well then." Kuro joined the procession, turning the group into a v-formation with Luffy at the spearhead. "Let's make Arlong pay."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sogeki King ran down the dirt road leading to the accursed pirate base, the villagers behind him whooping and screaming. The mob halted at the sight of two bloody and beaten swordsmen sitting in front of the door. Sogeki King stepped forward. "Out of the way." The swordsmen looked up took one glance and nearly choked on their own saliva. "Well? Are you going to move or not? We're here for Arlong."

"u-u-u-uso-Usopp-aniki!" the one in Green shouted hysterically.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" the two jumped up and danced around each other, crying tears of joy. Sogeki King merely cocked his head and stared at them.

"You're weird. And who's Usopp?" the two bounty hunters halted mid-prance and stared at him.

"You're Usopp. That's your name." Sogeki King shook his head, fighting an unexplainable headache.

"No, it's not! My name is Sogeki King! That's the name I made for myself as a brave captain of the sea!" he cleared his head. "That doesn't matter! We're here for revenge for Nami!" the two bounty hunters sobered up.

"Usopp-aniki, we're waiting for Luffy and the others." Sogeki King growled.

"I'm telling you, my name is not Usopp!" Yosaku looked at Johnny, an unreadable expression on his face. He pointed at himself.

"Fine then. Sogeki King. Do you know who I am?" Sogeki King shook his head. "Do you know who Luffy is?" he shook his head again. "Zoro? Sanji? Nami? Kuro?" Sogeki King held up a hand.

"That last one sounds familiar. Where did I hear that one…" he shrugged. "Nope, don't know any of them." Johnny turned to Yosaku.

"Could it be that Arlong almost killing him made him forget everything?"

"It's possible. Near-death experiences have been known to do that."

"But what are we going to tell Luffy-aniki? We can't just say that Usopp doesn't remember anything about his crew." Sogeking's ears perked up at that last sentence.

"Say, who is this Luffy-aniki? Is he one of my subordinates?" Johnny and Yosaku whirled around, surprised.

"Usopp-aniki!"

"My name's not Usopp!" Sogeking yelled. "And we don't have time for this! We're here to defeat Arlong!" the two blades shifted back up as Yosaku and Johnny reassured heir grip.

"We can't do that. We tried to avenge your death on our own, but we got our asses handed to us on a silver platter. The villagers couldn't do any better. We're waiting for the only people who can possibly do anything about it."

"But why?" Sogeki King shouted.

"They tried to kill you."

"And they made Nami-aniki cry."

"What further reason do we need?" the two bounty hunters spoke in unison. Nojiko growled as she pushed forward.

"No time!" the two blades were at her throat before she could take another step.

"We don't usually hurt women without bounties." Yosaku began.

"But if you try to go in there, you will be killed. We will do whatever is necessary to keep you from doing that." Johnny finished. Nojiko growled. Johnny and Yosaku looked over the heads of the mob and nodded. "There!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy walked in silence alongside his nakama as he spotted the crowd of unruly villagers. Sanji threw the burned-out stub of a cigarette on the ground. Zoro shifted his grip on his single katana. Gin twirled his tonfa lightly in his grip. Kuro shoved up his glasses up his nose. They walked in silence through the crowd. Luffy looked over his side and spotted the leader of the mob. The sight nearly made his heart stop. His forced himself to find his voice as he spoke.

"Usopp. You're alive." Usopp growled, but said nothing. Luffy looked at the dual pistols in his grip and quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing about them. "Come on. We're avenging our navigator." The rubber man wound up his fists and smashed the stone doors off their hinges. The rubble thudded to the ground, fist-prints imbedded in them. Arlong's head whipped up in abject shock, eyes narrowed. Luffy pulled his fist back up.

"Arlong. Your ass is grass."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And, I'm done!

Sorry for the long wait, guys! I had intended this chapter to be a lot longer and done before Christmas, but I left my house to go to a family Christmas reunion, and I forgot my laptop! I was there for three or four days, fuming because I couldn't do it on time! I just got back and finished this quickly. But then, I went up to my cabin, where they have no internet connection, so I couldn't get this up in time as a new year's present! So, sorry! This is my belated Christmas/New Year's present!

In a completely unrelated topic to how the next chapter will go, I've always wondered what would happen if somebody put Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chuck Norris and Kimbo Slice all together in a battle royale. I've always figured that it would just be MAJOR ASS WHOOPAGE, but sometimes I think that it would just be SUPER LONG and drag on forever. Yep, this is completely unrelated to how the next chapter will happen…

(if you don't get the subliminal messages, I will slap you silly.)

Five reviews gets the next chapter when I feel like it, ten gets it ASAP! (In 2009! Yay! Happiness and joy! Happy new year, everyone!)

Review. You know you want to.


	15. Seastone

Chapter fifteen! I intended to have super-major ass whoopage in this chapter, but… you guys have been practically foaming at the mouth for a new chapter, and I wasn't making any headway into it, so… this is a stand-in. 'dodges knives' I'm sorry this took so long, and it's not what I promised! Rest assured, I have petitioned the help of a master fight scene writer (thanks for the recommendation, Con-Chan!), so the next chapter will be kickass.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Disclaimer: you lawyers can't do jack squat to me, so why should I say it?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"who the hell are you?" Luffy looked at Arlong with such loathing, such hatred that he swallowed his tongue for a moment.

"name's Luffy. I'm a pirate. remember it. Tell the devil it's the name of the man who sent you down to hell." Two of the nameless mermen stepped in front of him as he continued his silent procession to the merman boss.

"hey, hey, hey. you can't just come barging in here and expect to see the boss. You gotta…" Luffy grabbed the two by the head and slammed them together, knocking them unconscious.

"don't get in my way." Arlong spat on the ground.

"and what does a pirate want with me?" Luffy crouched down and went inside himself. he searched for all of the hatred that he had ever felt, all of the anger he had ever felt, all of the negative emotions he had ever felt and focused them into his fist. With a scream of rage, the sobbing Nami in his mind's eye, Luffy's fist smashed into Arlong's face, and the giant merman went tumbling ass-over-teakettle into the stone wall, destroying it completely. Luffy glared at him with mind-comsuming hatred.

"don't you dare make my navigator cry!"

"you bastard!" the mermen flunkies leaped out of the water and charged at Luffy. that idea immediately ground to a halt as they were blown back by explosions. Usopp twirled the guns in his hand as he stepped forward.

"oi, oi, oi! Don't go charging in there all alone!" Luffy looked at him.

"it's not like I'm going to lose even if I'm alone."

"idiot. I'm telling you not to steal all the kills." Sanji walked up beside Usopp.

"Usopp's got the right idea, Luffy. save some for the rest of us."

"my name's not Usopp!"

"Luffy, are you sure you got the right guy?" Zoro said as he stepped up. "he says he's not Usopp, and he's way to brave too be him. not only that, I haven't heard a single lie out of him yet."

"of course! Lying is a filthy habit! I, brave captain Sogeking, have never told one lie in my life!" Sogeki King shouted.

"yep, definitely the wrong guy." Arlong glared. Hachi gaped. He pointed directly at the green-haired swordsman.

"that's him! that's the unknown swordsman!"

"that's Roronoa Zoro." Kuroobi said in a deadpan voice. Hachi stroked his 'chin'.

"as I thought, I knew it! He's the one who tricked me! he rode me… I mean, I gave him a ride…" Luffy looked over at Zoro, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"you rode him, Zoro? I never knew you were into men… let alone MERmen-"

"SILENCE! I KILL YOU!" Zoro screamed as he whipped out his katana and rushed Luffy. the captain merely blocked all three blades with a lazy flick of his sword.

"oi, oi, oi. You're supposed to be fighting them, not me." one of the mermen pointed at Sogeking with a wild look in his eye.

"look, it's that long-nose guy!" Hachi yelled out in surprise.

"huh! But Arlong-san killed that guy!"

"arlong-san never fails to kill his prey. How is he still alive? Chuu." Chuu said astonishedly. Sogeking's mind had focused in on one word.

"you tried to KILL me!" he pointed at Arlong. "nobody tries to kill the great captain Sogeking and lives to tell the tale!" he whipped out one of his pistols and flicked a pellet into the cartridge. He snapped it shut and pointed it at Arlong. "Sogeking gunpowder bullet!" the bullet exploded in Arlong's face as the nameless flunkies gasped.

"Arlong-san!" the smoke cleared, and Arlong spat out a tiny amount of blood. Sogeking looked faintly surprised. "what? You're still alive? The gunpowder must have been wet or something…"

"no blow from an inferior being will ever defeat me." Arlong chuckled. "pirates, eh? So that's how you guys know each other. You're the captain they were talking about. Tell me, how did you do the water trick?" Luffy growled.

"like I'd tell a bastard like you!" Arlong laughed.

"shahahahahaha! It doesn't matter, for what can inferior beings like you do against us?" Hachi laughed as he walked forward.

"you guys are idiots! What makes you think Arlong's going to waste time on you!" Luffy snorted.

"you're calling us idiots? Says the man who gave his enemies a free ride." Hachi stuttered.

"y-you inferior beings! I'll show you!" he turned around, cupped his elongated mouth, and began playing it like a trumpet, of all things. Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

"now, that's just hot, I don't care who you are. Wish I could play the trumpet with my mouth…" Kuro shook his head ruefully at the one thing his captain noticed. The ground began rumbling immediately after. Sogeking looked around.

"the hell? Some kind of secret weapon?" Hachi laughed wildly.

"you guys can be his next meal! Show yourself, Mohmoo!" a spray of water shot up as the sea cow emerged. "there you are, my mighty pet! Destroy our enemies!" Moomoo roared, only for it go die suddenly as it caught sight of Luffy.

"oh. It's just Mohmoo. I was worried for a second there."

"MOOmoo! MooOO MOO! (my liege! What are you doing here!)" it started trembling. "MooMoO MOoo? mOOO MOO! (are you one of the enemies? I don't know what to do!) Luffy jerked his head at Arlong, telling him silently to follow orders. Mohmoo trembled some more before roaring loudly and lunging at Luffy. Sogeking yelped.

"do something, straw hat!" Luffy slammed his feet into the cement, securing a foothold. He twisted himself impossibly around himself, before launching his arms at Mohmoo's horns and catching them. "WHAAAA!"

"his arm stretched!" Hachi shouted incredulously. Arlong's eyes were wide as saucers.

"he had the power of the devil fruit!"

"Gomu Gomu NO PINWHEEL!" Luffy roared as he whirled the massive sea king around him like a playtoy, smashing into the entire crew of the merman pirates and sending them sprawling. Luffy continued to scream as he unwound all of the spirals he had wound up, before releasing the sea cow. Mohmoo screeched into the sky as he flew away from the carnage. Luffy snapped back to his original position as he pointed at Arlong. "I didn't come here to fight small fry! I came to kick your ass!" Arlong opened his eyes, the epitome of a shark circling it's prey.

"well, that's just perfect. I was just thinking about how to kill you too." Sanji immediately started kicking his captain in the head.

"you dumbass! You could have hurt us too!" Luffy growled and pulled at his feet, before realizing something.

"huh!" he pulled at his feet. "what the shit!"

"what the hell were you thinking, straw hat! You could have gotten us too!" Sogeking shouted. Luffy just continued to yank on his foot.

"how dare you do that to our crew!" Hachi shouted. Kuroobi sneered.

"looks like we'll have to get our hands dirty now." Chuu cracked his knuckles.

"we should teach them the difference between our species. Chuu." Zoro grinned, still holding his katana in his grip.

"so, the main forces have finally revealed themselves." Kuroobi turned to Arlong, a passive look on his face.

"Arlong-san, please stay right where you are."

"if you fought as mad as you are right now, Arlong park would turn to be blown to bits." Hachi stood up, growling.

"we'll take care of them!" Hachi sucked in breath after breath, his chest expanding to the max. Sogeking peered out from behind his pillar, his guns at the ready.

"what's the octopus up to?" Luffy looked back at him, a befuddled look on his face.

"why are you behind there? I thought you were brave!" Sogeking huffed, insulted.

"I am brave! But I'm a long-range fighter! I can't be where they can hit me with any of their moves! You guys are the meat shields while I pick them off from a distance!" Luffy stroked his chin for a moment. The logic was sound. Usopp was not exactly made for the kind of beating they could put up with.

"tako-hachi-black!" Hachi yelled as he sprayed out jet black ink. Luffy's head whipped back in shock just in time to get an entire faceful of the blinding black. Zoro, who had dodged in time, glared at his captain.

"you idiot! Why didn't you dodge!" Luffy clutched at his eyes, screaming.

"GAAAAHH! MY EYES!" Hachi picked up a huge chunk of ceiling.

"and now, to finish you off…"

"Luffy! melt out of there!" Gin yelled. Luffy tugged at his feet.

"that's the problem! my feet won't melt! Everything else does, but not my feet!" Sogeking looked back and forth between the crew and the captain, realizing there was something he was missing. Hachi finished walking over to Luffy and slammed it down on his head.

"tako-hachi-black on the rocks!" Luffy was crushed under the weight of the rock. The crew looked at each other and shrugged. Hachi laughed. "hahahahahaha! Your captain is gone! What will you do now!"

"nah, you can't kill someone like him with just that. he's a tenacious little bugger." Gin said, nonchalant. As soon as he finished saying this, the stone split in half, with Luffy still in the exact same position. He tugged at his feet.

"nope, still not out of here. why the hell can't I melt?" he shrugged. "eh. I can still kick you guys' asses without moving from here." Arlong cackled maniacally. Luffy cast a critical eye on the merman leader. "oi, sushi. You got a problem with that?"

"SHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he continued laughing. "looks like you discovered my seastone concrete!" Luffy's eyes shot open, wide as dinner plates.

"SEASTONE!" Luffy screamed. That wasn't right! That was not right at all! How the hell was seastone affecting him! Arlong cackled. Chuu went over to the water's edge and cupped a mouthful of water in his hand. He quickly slurped it up, and shot it at Luffy's face. "GAAHH!" Luffy screamed. He had seen what those things could do, and he had no idea if he was still protected from water or not. His fears were unfounded, however, as the water bullet was deflected off to the side. Gin lowered his bludgeon and grinned.

"now that's interesting. You've given me an idea." Chuu growled. Gin turned to Luffy. "and you… when the hell did you turn into a moron?" Luffy shrugged.

"eh, it runs in the family. Can't hide genetics, no matter how hard you try." Gin snorted.

"I guess having a stupid captain is better than having a captain that would hurt a woman and kill blindly." Kuroobi snorted.

"you all came here for 'that kind' of woman? You're pathetic." Now Sanji was interested.

"'that kind' of woman?" he glared, cigarette dangling from his lips. "say that about Nami-san again and I'll fry you up. make you into a meuniere, fish-man!" Kuroobi crossed his arms.

"you two look like you can fight, for humans. However, pirates who fight with chivalry can only be mediocre." Sanji took a drag on his smoke as Gin narrowed his eyes.

"you hearing this Sanji? The fish-man just insulted us."

"let's see if he's got the actions to back his words. See if our chivalry is mediocre." Sanji tapped the ash from his smoke. "I was raised by an unbeatable pirate."

"and I was first mate to the lord of the east blue. Let's compare, shall we?" Gin twirled his tonfa. The stingray merman merely grunted as he settled into a karate stance. Sogeking continued to pull at Luffy, his feet stretching further and further without movement on the critical end.

"Anything yet?" Sogeking asked. Luffy looked at his feet and scowled.

"nope. Dammit, who has seastone concrete?" Sogeking smacked Luffy on his head with his free hand.

"that doesn't matter! Are you even trying!" Luffy looked up at him.

"Usopp, the concrete's canceling my powers! I'd like to see you do any better!" Hatchan looked up and saw the two's attempts.

"what do they think they're doing? This is Arlong park, for crying out loud! There's no escape!" Hatchan picked up another massive piece of rubble. "I'll kill you!" Sogeking looked ready to whip out his pistols, but Luffy waved in his face.

"no! don't! I'll be fine, just keep running!" Sogeking growled, but shoved the pistol back in his belt and ran even faster. Hatchan walked towards them slowly, the overhang slowing him down immensely.

"wait!" the octopus called out, before two blades, one sheathed and one not went to his throat.

"oi. Those two are busy." Zoro said, Wado Ichimonji in his hand. Kuro pushed up his glasses with his free hand.

"we shall occupy your time. we shall be your opponents." Hatchan growled.

"Roronoa Zoro! Kuro of a thousand plans! You tricked me!" he slammed the overhang down on the ground, forcing the two to leap away or get squashed. "that's right! Then you two killed some of my brethren!" Zoro jerked a thumb at Kuro.

"that wasn't me. that was all him." Kuro pushed up his glasses, passive surprise on his face.

"they died? I missed all of the vital stuff… I didn't kill any of them." Hatchan blinked before grinning sheepishly.

"oh, yeah. You're right. None of them died. My mistake!" Zoro shook his head.

"perfectly understandable. They looked like they died, but they didn't." Hatchan nodded wildly.

"yeah, they did! It was scary! I got back, and one of them floated right in front of me! it scared me to pieces!" he blinked again before his face grew angry. He swung three of his fists at the two swordsmen. "how dare you distract me!"

"you distracted yourself…" Zoro muttered as he dodged the blow. Kuro merely chuckled as he twisted out of the line of fire. Luffy looked behind him at hatchan's exclamation and saw Chuu sucking in a breath, aiming at Zoro's unprotected back. He swore. He had seen what those things could do.

"shit! Usopp, let go of me! get Chuu's attention and get him away from the fighting!"

"my name's not Usopp!" Sogeking shouted as he released Luffy. the rubber man snapped back to his original position as the long-mouthed merman took a headbutt to the gut.

"guh!" Chuu breathed as he fell flat on his ass. Sogeking thumbed himself in the chest.

"looks like the others are all getting their fun now! But I'm feeling left out!" he twirled his guns into his hands. "shall we dance, fish-mouth?" Luffy waved about limply.

"bastard… looks like you really want to die!" the merman spat a water bullet at the sniper's face. He matched the attack with a flaming bullet of his own, and the two met in mid-air. Chuu charged straight at him, spitting bullet after bullet, Sogeking blocking every one.

"shit! Too close!" Sogeking swore, and began to run, firing pellets behind him every so often. Chuu stopped at the assembly of villagers and looked around.

"aren't you the villagers from cocoyashi village?" he looked at the makeshift spears, eyebrow quirked. "since you have all of these weapons, I can assume you're rebelling. You guys are all-"

"Sogeking flaming star!" the pellet shot straight at his face and into his mouth and down his gullet. Chuu fell backwards, eyes about to pop out of their sockets as the flames licked the inside of his stomach.

"GHAAAAAHH!" he screamed. Sogeking thumbed his chest again.

"don't you dare forget about me! you might not live to regret it!" Chuu stumbled back to his feet, clutching his stomach, a grimace of intense pain on his elongated features.

"you survived… us once… I'll fix that mistake!" he screamed as he chased after him. "get back here, long nose!"

"like you're any better, freak-mouth!" he countered as he fired a warning shot back. Arlong laughed once as the spectacles unfolded. He pushed himself to his feet and walked towards the impending battles.

"same old, same old. I grow tired of just watching."

"Arlong-san, I thought we asked you not to get violent here." Kuroobi reprimanded as his boss continued to walk towards them.

"I'm not. I just thought of an interesting game to play." Hatchan quirked an eyebrow.

"game? What game?" Luffy grinned.

"I may not be able to use my ace in the hole, but I can still-" his fist stretched out at his face. "kick your ass from here!" the fist met Arlong's face, and ultimately, his nose. Lufft pulled back his fist, screaming. "AAAH! Dammit! I'm bleeding!" Arlong wiped the thin strand of blood under his nose away.

"that hurt." He said in a menacing tone. He shot his hand into the concrete and ripped out the rubber boy, seastone concrete and all. "just for that, you're dieing faster." He tossed him into the sitting pool, Luffy screaming all the way.

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled.

"bastard!" Sanji cursed. Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"it would seem that they have gained a slight advantage. This is unfortunate." Arlong laughed.

"shahahahaha!" Sanji began running to the sitting pool.

"I'm gonna save-" Kuro held out a bladed finger.

"don't. the seastone concrete may cancel any physical gains of devil fruit. But passive gains remain intact. remember what he is." Sanji's eyes widened. Kuro nodded. "he will survive indefinitely down there. we can focus on the mermen to our full extent." Zoro nodded.

"we can't afford to have our attention split." He cocked his sword. "the octopus is mine."

"no it's not. It's mine." Kuro walked forward. "Gin and I will divert their attentions. You two can go free Luffy." Gin looked at Kuro.

"oi, oi, oi. Since when was I part of this plan?" Gin twirled his tonfa. "but I like it just the same."

"how long do you think he'll last down there?" Arlong said casually. Hatchan nodded.

"so this was the game you were talking about." Arlong nodded.

"and do you think I'll allow you to interfere with my game? You forgot about me." Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"that's right. I forgot to account for you. I would have thought you would sit on the sidelines like you are now. I was wrong. Looks like there will be nobody freeing Luffy."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy sank through the clear waters, clutching his mouth. 'shit. I'm in trouble. I can't breathe anymore.' Gold Roger formed in the water, shaking a disappointed head at him.

"what the hell are you doing, clutching your mouth like you can drown? No seastone can ever stop what you are." Luffy looked over at him, before reluctantly letting go of his mouth. He sucked in a breath, before gasping.

"why the hell can I breathe? I thought seastone cancelled devil fruit powers? And speaking of which, why the hell is the seastone affecting me at all!" Gold Roger sighed.

"that's right. I forgot to mention that to you. seastone is not actually from the sea. It just mimics the actions of the sea on devil fruit users. It is a rock, and not water, and therefore, not under our control. However, since the effects are like the sea, and we control the sea, it cannot control us completely. It is the classic case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Something has to give." He sighed. "of course… if you had as much practice with your fruit as I have, you could cancel the power of seastone." Luffy's eyebrows were high on his forehead at the end of the speech.

"you mean, if I had decades of practice like you, I can escape from seastone?" he grinned. "that means no prison could ever contain me! sweet!"

"not decades. Centuries." Gold Roger corrected. "how many times do you think I've done repeats in time, boy?" Luffy's grin fell.

"damn. there goes that idea." He waved his arm around. "this is such a weird feeling. I feel more power than I ever could have on land, and yet, I feel like it's not there at the same time." Gold Roger's eyebrows shot up.

"really. Is that a fact…" he mused. "can you use any of your powers?" Luffy closed his eye, before growling.

"nope. Can't melt." Gold Roger slapped him upside the head.

"idiot! That's not the only power you have!" Luffy closed his eyes again while mumbling under his breath. A trail of bubbles shot out of his hand and slammed into the ground. "huh? Why can I still use Mizu Mizu harpoon!" Gold Roger's eyes widened even further.

"I-impossible… so fast… and no practice…" he quickly shook his head. "never mind. Can you still make a clone?" Luffy closed his eyes once more. He frowned.

"I… I can sort of feel it… like it's behind a brick wall, but it's still there…" his forehead creased as he tried to make a clone. When his body started trembling, Gold Roger stepped in.

"it's okay, boy. You can't do it. that's fine with-" the water behind him swirled, and another Luffy burst into place. "wh-what! Impossible!"

"yeah! I did it!" the two Luffys shouted in unison. They glared at each other. "what do you mean, you did it! I did it!" they shouted at each other, before the original blinked. "hey, why are you copying what I'm saying?"

"what do you mean, copying? YOU are copying ME!" the clone shouted. The original's eyes shot open as he realized what happened.

"roger! I finally got a working clone!" the pirate king's mouth flapped open and shut like a gasping fish.

"how-what-you-clone…" he babbled before laughing uncontrollably. "GHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You idiot brat! GHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy frowned.

"what's the matter with you?" Gold Roger continued to giggle unrelentingly.

"ghehehehehehehe… you never cease to amaze me, Luffy. you never, cease, to amaze me. ghehehehehe…" he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "can you still control them?" the clone's body stiffened as the original went limp.

"yep." Luffy-clone said.

"then get the clone up topside and fight!" Luffy-clone snapped a smart salute.

"roger!" roger slapped lazily at the clone's head.

"brat." The clone shot up to the surface. With a glorious spray of sea, Luffy-clone landed on land, grinning. Arlong gaped like the fish he was as the straw hat crew merely blinked.

"…huh?" Gin stared at the sight. "weren't you stuck in concrete?" Luffy-clone nodded.

"still am! I made me as a stand-in!" Gin nodded, the proverbial light bulb flickering on.

"ah. A clone. I get it." Luffy-clone grinned.

"yeah! And I finally figured out how to become autonomous!" Gin quirked an eyebrow.

"nice. You were working on that in the boat." Arlong's eyes narrowed, clearly missing something vital to the conversation.

"who the hell are you?" Luffy spread his arms wide, a solemn look on his face.

"I have many names, and I have no name, for they drift away with the currents."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And, I'll stop there, before you guys hunt me down, strap me to my chair and force me to write! Sorry for such a long wait and not getting the promised goods! Stupid can't-finish-a-stupid-arc-itis… my inspiration dries up at the end of an arc! Inspiration is a fickle mistress. Sometimes she whispers the greatest things since sliced bread… and sometimes you have to spank the whore until she gives it up.

Five for next chapter when I feel like it, ten for ASAP! (though at this point, I'd settle for five. 'dodges more knives' sorry!)

Review. You know you want to.


	16. Fallen

Alright! Chapter sixteen! NOW with major ass whoopage! Lol

Oh, and by the way. You'll realize, about three-fourths of the way into the chapter, that I am SO getting my fix. You'll realize what, later!

Oh, and by the way… PLOT TWIST~~~!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Disclaimer: ownership. Ownership! Wherefore art thou, ownership…?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Arlong's eyes widened slightly. "You… know the sea lore?" Arlong cackled maniacally. "SHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, this just keeps getting better and better! I think I'm going to enjoy killing you, human!" Luffy-clone cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, but why now? We're the main course! Why not let some of the appetizers go first? After all, fish does go down well…" Arlong cackled.

"shahahaha! If you weren't an inferior race, I might have asked you to join my crew!" Arlong looked over at the idling mermen. "You heard the human. Give us a show."

"Nyuu! I will enjoy my revenge, swordsmen!" Hatchan cried out as he sucked in a breath. "tako-hachi-BLACK!" a cloud of black ink sprayed out in a wide arc, forcing the two swordsmen to leap out of the way. Kuro flipped his glasses up.

"It would be a crippling blow if he were to hit us with that ink. Avoid that at all cost." The pirate captain leaped back and sliced at the octopus man's head, shaving off an entire spike of hair. He clutched at his head.

"Nyuu! You bastard! I'm gonna…" Kuro tensed. "Do nothing. I mean, it's only hair, it'll grow back." Kuro blinked.

"Eh?"

"Roronoa and Kuro! You cannot defeat me! I have six arms to your four! Isn't it great? Isn't it wonderful?" he crowed as he waved his arms like a hula dancer. Kuro pushed up his glasses, a bemused expression on his face.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hatchan blinked, before growling.

"Kuro! Nyuu! Tako-Hachi-Punch!" he swung his left fists at Kuro, barely grazing his face. He jumped back as Zoro swung in. "special-move-octopus-catching-the-blade-with-bare-hands!" he slapped his hands together as the blade traveled downwards.

Silence…

"OWW! That hurt!" Hatchan yelped as blood trickled down his forehead.

"We don't have time to play around with you!" Zoro roared, annoyance finally clouding his judgment. He panted as his wound throbbed painfully. 'Shit… I still haven't healed yet…' Kuro pushed up his glasses, eying Zoro.

"Zoro. Allow me to fight him. Your wounds still have not healed yet."

"Like hell… I ain't losing to anybody…" his body stiffened as he slumped to the ground, Kuro's hand where his neck was. He pushed up his glasses.

"Rest a while. I will battle your foe." He slowly turned to face the octopus in front of him. "My plan involves your demise. And my plans never fail." He lunged forward, pointer finger extended. Hatchan smacked the blade away, only to duck when the other four fingers followed.

"Nyuu!" Sanji stared at the cat-like captain, uncertainty in his eyes.

"He…"

"Getting distracted by them will mean your death!" Kuroobi shouted as he swung a fin at Sanji. He whirled around, only for the blow to be intercepted by a tonfa.

"Oi, oi, oi. I thought I said that I was your opponent." Gin swung the cannonball at Kuroobi's face. "Forgetting who you're fighting will spell YOUR death!" a fin shot up and blocked the blow. Kuroobi stared at Gin slightly.

'He's strong… I felt that all the way through the bone…' Gin continued to hammer away at Kuroobi, hoping to get in at lucky shot.

"Sanji! Go get the captain! We'll hold them off!" Gin shouted as his tonfa caught Kuroobi's pointer finger. The stingray merman hissed in pain as the digit gave an audible crack. Gin smirked. "Oops. Did I break something?"

"You damn human…" Kuroobi growled. Kuro shoved up his glasses, staring at Hatchan, hanging from a pole.

"tako-hachi-number… nine." And he continued to hang upside down from the pole. Kuro stared at him for the longest time, before speaking.

"You're not coming down from there on your own, are you?" Hatchan grinned.

"Nyu~." Kuro grinned.

"Just the way I like it." In an instant, he was at Hatchan's height, grinning as he ran up the pole.

"Huh!" Hatchan yelped as Kuro ran past him, to the top of the pole. Quick as he was running, he stopped, and let gravity take its toll.

"Kitty in the tree!" Kuro began slicing his arms back and forth across the pillar, mechanical as clockwork as he fell. Hatchan screamed as the two hands passed across him. The suction cups on his arms failed, and he fell to the ground. Kuro landed on his feet lightly as Hatchan thumped to the ground. Kuro pushed up his glasses, easy as you please. "Hiss."

CRACK! The pillar slid into a hundred pieces, as thin as where Kuro had sliced it. With a thunder of stone, the stones leaves fell to the ground, creating a great cloud of dust. Kuro grinned. "I've never been too good with creating new attacks, but I felt inspired with that one." The octopus merman forced himself to his feet, growling curses at him.

"You bastard… I'm not even serious yet!" he launched himself at another pillar and shimmied up it to the next level.

"You want a leveled fight?" Kuro ran up the pillar after the octopus. As soon as he took a step on the second floor, he was forced onto the defensive as six massive sabers slashed at his face. "Ghhh!"

"Behold! Six-sword style!" Hatchan swung again at Kuro's face. "You may have ten swords, but your blades are flimsy, and easily broken! They lack any power behind your strokes!" Kuro swiped at the octopus' stomach. Hatchan leaped away.

"Shut up!" he lunged forward, pointer finger extended. "I'll kill you!" Hatchan bashed the blade away.

"However, with six swords, I can focus all of my power into the attacks, and overpower your defense!" he swung again with all six, and Kuro was forced to one knee.

'Damn… he's right, dammitall. He's got me beat in terms of strength… but he's no match for my mind…' Kuro rolled out from under him and began to dodge the blows. 'There's no way I could possibly defeat him… not with his six arms… I need to disable his arms…' his eyes widened. 'That's it!' he sprinted with his incredible speed around the octopus, cat claws at the ready. With a yell, he plunged his blades in a W form into three of Hatchan's arms. Hatchan screamed as Kuro pulled the blades out a smirk on his face.

"You bastard! That hurt!" Hatchan whirled about, only to stare at his left side confusedly. "What! Why can't I move my arms!"

"Because I disabled your arms." Kuro pushed up his glasses, an incredibly pleased smirk on his face. "An octopus has the majority of their neurons in their arms. Two-thirds, to be precise. If you can hit them precisely, or attack enough, the neurons would be severed, and the brain can no longer control them. Don't worry, I doubt it's permanent."

YOU BASTARD!" with a mighty roar, the octopus swung his entire right side of swords onto Kuro's cat claws. With an almighty crunch, the finger blades snapped. Kuro's eyes widened as Hatchan slammed into his chest. "I'll kill you!" he swung again. Kuro only barely raised his right hand to block. With another crunch, all five blades on that hand snapped as well.

"No…" Kuro scrambled away. The octopus looked ready to kill him. Kuro continued to scoot away from him, when his hand touched something cold. His eyes widened as he realized what he had a grasp of.

"Today, you DIE!" Hatchan swung. Kuro tossed the snapped finger blade at Hatchan. It punctured straight into his chest. Hatchan's eyes widened as he gulped for air. With trembling eyes, he slowly looked down at his chest, at the slowly growing pool of blood under his shirt. "What…? You… killed me…?" Hatchan stumbled backwards before toppling over. Kuro panted, exhausted.

"Hahhh… hahhh… hahhh… I probably… punctured… one of his hearts… hahhh…" he gulped down a gasp of air. "Hahhh… damn… I need… to work on… my endurance… hahhh…" he picked up a broken blade. "Damn… I'll need… to get some… replacements at a blacksmith… later…" he dropped to the ground and closed his eyes. "I'm going to… take a short rest… now…" and Kuro's breathing stilled.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"You wanna know why they call me, 'the demon man'?" Gin taunted as Kuroobi punched at Gin's face.

"No. for in a moment, you'll be dead." Gin swung a tonfa at the stingray's face. A fin came up and blocked it.

"Now, that's just rude." Gin looked over his shoulder to Sanji, who was still standing there. "What the hell are you still doing here? Get going!" Sanji shook himself out of his stupor and stripped out of his suit.

"Right!" he dove into the water, intent on freeing his captain. Gin smirked.

"idiot." Gin dropped to the floor and swung at Kuroobi's legs. He screamed as his shin gave an audible crack. "That ought to even the score." Kuroobi grabbed his leg and, with a grit of his teeth, snapped his chin back into place.

"Ghhh!" Gin eyed the move with an approving eye.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." Kuroobi looked up at him. "Snapping it back into place to not cause further damage. It's a clever-"

"I don't need praise from a human!" the stingray's fist smashed into Gin's face, and he went flying through the wall onto the ground. Kuroobi looked to Arlong. "Why aren't you fighting, Arlong-san?" Arlong cracked his knuckles.

"Because there's nothing to fight. This guy-" he slashed his hand through Luffy-clone. "Is a fake. I'm not sure how, but he isn't the real one. And I won't waste my time fighting an imposter. Besides, the real one's not coming up. He's as good as dead."

"You sure about that?" Luffy-clone grinned. "I could get out of there at any time I wanted. If I'm still down there, then it's because I want to be down there." Luffy-clone looked to Kuroobi. "Oh, and by the way. You better watch your back. Gin is made of tougher stuff than that."

"There is no human that can stand up to-" whatever he was about to say was halted as he was sent flying to the side, blood gushing from his mouth. Gin picked himself up and gently walked back into Arlong Park. He picked up his thrown tonfa and twirled it.

"Never underestimate me. You won't live to regret it." Kuroobi gasped in pain and clutched the side of his head, where the tonfa had struck. He shakily picked himself up.

"You bastard human…" he settled into a stance. "You can take my hundred brick punch. But my special move is the thousand brick punch! The chances of survival are ZERO!" he shouted.

"Unless I take you out before you do." Gin leaped over Kuroobi and slammed his cannonballs into both his head and his spine. Kuroobi didn't make a sound as he slumped to the ground, unable to move. "That outta paralyze you for the rest of the day. I'm in a generous mood right now." Gin looked up and saw no fighting on the roof. "Where's Kuro?"

"Where you're going right now." Gin didn't have time to think as Arlong slammed into him. "Kuroobi…" he looked up, where Hatchan's limp arm was draped over the roof. "Hachi…" he glared at Gin, who looked like he was trying to cough up a lung. "You killed so many of my brethren… don't you think you've gotten a little caught up in the moment!"

"Since when… did any of them… die?" Gin growled as he swung a tonfa at Arlong's head. "Not by my count, they didn't!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dammit, hold still!" Chuu shouted as he chased Sogeking down, spitting bullet after bullet at his head. Each one was dodged or blocked with a bullet.

"Like hell! You stop spitting water at me first!" Sogeking shouted. He snapped open his gun cartridges and fed twelve more bullets into the slots. He snapped them shut and fired again. "Dammit, just die already!"

"Like hell!" Chuu shouted. He suddenly stopped and grinned. "Why am I chasing you down? I can kill you now!" Sogeking, with a stone dropping into his stomach, realized that the merman had stopped by a rice field.

"Shit… this won't end well…" he swore. "Dammit, how the hell am I supposed to beat this guy? He blocks all of my attacks…"

'_Then use underhanded techniques! Don't fight fair!' _a voice whispered. Sogeking looked around, confused.

"Huh! Who the hell was that!" but the voice was silent.

"Trying to pretend there's someone else won't save you!" Chuu called out. He bent over and stuck his elongated mouth into the water, draining the field dry. Sogeking swore and dove for a tree.

"SHIT!"

"WATER CANNON!" the entire pond was fired out of his mouth in an explosive attack, completely destroying the dirt road. "100-shot water gun!" machine-gun-like pellets of water were fired at the hiding Sogeking.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! What do I do now! He's got me pinned down!" Sogeking searched through the bag at his hip. "Maybe there's something in here that'll help me…" a swish of liquid and a clink of glass. Usopp pulled out a bottle. "Single-malt whisky? What's that doing in there?" he grinned. "But this is it!" with an underhand chuck, the bottle was at Chuu's head. The water bullets shattered the booze, and the merman was soaked in whisky. Usopp leaped out in the small lapse in shots. "Sogeking GUNPOWDER STAR!" he fired a single shot at Chuu.

"Huh!" Chuu screamed. What happened next, Sogeking would never forget.

Perhaps it was the wind, blowing the bullet oh-so-slightly off course. Perhaps it was his own downward momentum when the shot was fired. Or perhaps, it was luck.

The bullet sank into the merman's open gullet, and into his stomach. Chuu gulped in reflex, before his eyes bulged out.

"NOOOO!" the bullet exploded in his stomach, and the merman bulged as he clasped his mouth. The flames, however, could not be contained. With a roar of fire, the explosion carried out through his fingers, creating a pillar of fire. The fire caught onto his skin, sending Chuu up in a burst of flame. To Sogeking, it looked like he was being burned alive. "AAAAAAAAGGGH!" Chuu screamed as he threw himself into a nearby rice field. The water contacted with the whisky, and it spread throughout the water. The flames caught to the alcohol, and the entire field went up in flames.

"My god…" Sogeking breathed.

When the flames died, Chuu lay there, unmoving, a charred corpse. Sogeking felt like he was going to throw up. He stumbled to the merman. "Is he…" he placed a trembling hand to the merman's throat. "Dead?" he felt no pulse. He couldn't take it anymore. With a wretch, Sogeking turned and threw up his lunch. "I killed him… I killed someone… oh my god… he's dead… he can't be dead…" he placed his hand to his throat again. "Oh god… he's…"

There! Sogeking felt it! It was faint, but there was a pulse! He fell back, so relieved he couldn't put it in words. "Thank god… I don't want to be a murderer…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sanji swam down through the waters of the sitting pool, towards Luffy. The captain turned and grinned.

"Oh, Sanji! About time! I was hoping you could bust me out of this!" he warbled in the water. Sanji gave him a good kick in the head for that. "Owww! That hurt, you bastard!"

'Just shut up and kick Arlong's ass!' Sanji thought to himself as he shattered the rock holding Luffy's feet. The captain of the Straw Hat pirates grinned as he flexed his arms. With a single thought, his hand melted into water.

"AWWW HELLS YES! LUFFY IS BAAAAAACK!" he shot up through the water, flying into the air with a whoop. "ARLONG! YOUR ASS IS MINE!" he grabbed Gin, who was laying on the ground, panting and bleeding, and threw him into the air. "Tag team!"

"I"LL KILL YOU!" Gin screamed as he flew away from the action. Luffy just grinned.

"Mizu Mizu HARPOON!" a spear of water shot up between his hands and fired at Arlong. The blow rocked him on his feet. "Gomu Gomu BELL!" a head butt to the gut blew him off his feet. "WHIP! PISTOL! GATLING GUN!" the combination of blows sent him crashing into the walls of Arlong Park, the rubble toppling down on him. "Yeah! Warm-up's done!"

"Luffy!" Nami shouted. The crowd whirled around to find her standing amongst their midst, without their notice. Luffy turned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yo, Nami! I've been out of commission for a bit, but I'm back in the game!" an explosion of rubble revealed Arlong, completely unscathed.

"Well, then, deal out." Arlong chucked a massive piece of rubble at Luffy's head. Hee merely dissolved, the piece of masonry passing through harmlessly. Arlong's eyes widened. "Another fake!"

"Nope! I'm real!" Luffy grinned and melted his arm. "I'm a water man!" Arlong's eyes shot wider than even possible.

"But…! You're a rubber man…!" Luffy grinned

"Both!" he stretched his arm, and the arm melted. "You're out of your league, Arlong." Arlong glared.

"I am a merman! To say that a human is better than I am is laughable! We mermen are blessed by the heavens to be infinitely greater than humans! You are only strong enough to exist beneath us!" Luffy snorted.

"Oh, yeah? Then how about the fact that the two kings were humans! Hmmm? HMMMMM? The rulers of the mermen that nobody could ever defeat?" Nami looked at Luffy strangely, saying things that she did not understand. Arlong, however, seemed to be enraged.

"Those are fairy tales! They are not true!" Luffy grinned.

"Oh yeah? I know they're fact! I was one of them!"

Silence.

"SHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Arlong cackled. "You- you're the- SHAHAHAHAAHAHA! That fairy tale's over a thousand years old! You say- SHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!" Luffy looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"you don't believe me? That's a pity." Was all he said. "Mizu Mizu NUN KEEOSU!" a multitude of strands of water shot up out of the standing water and shot at Arlong. The merman grunted and leaped away from the strands. The columns whipped around and began pummeling the merman in midair. With a flick of Luffy's hand, they coalesced together and slapped Arlong into the ground. The crowd of villagers gasped at the demonstration of sheer power. Nami merely stared at her captain.

'This is… more brutal then I've ever seen him be…' Arlong pushed himself up on one knee.

"You bastard human…" he plucked out two pairs of teeth from his jaw, clacking them together like two fell castanets. "TWIST GUM!" the two pairs of teeth sank right into Luffy. Arlong chomped away on Luffy again and again and again. Luffy, having decided that Arlong had been tormented enough, chopped his hand down and knocked the teeth out of his grasp.

"You having fun, merman?" he waved at his unmarked physique. Luffy grabbed his own teeth, and _yanked._ The teeth came out as easily as Arlong's did. With a slow grimace, a second pair of teeth grew in. Arlong's eyes widened.

"You have merman in your veins!" Arlong threw his head back and laughed. "SHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh, this is getting better and better!" with another yank, Luffy had another pair of teeth in his grip.

"God, I hate doing that." his rubbed his jaw. "You had fun with your teeth. Now, let's try mine." Luffy slammed his own pair of chompers onto Arlong's bicep. He yelled in pain. Luffy grinned. "Anything you can do, I can do better."

"Bastard!" Arlong chomped at Luffy's neck. The head rolled off to the side, before the body reformed under it. "Just die already!"

"Hell no! I got too many things that still need doing!" Luffy grinned. "You can't beat me! Just admit it!"

"No! Humans are inferior beings! You can't even save yourselves in the ocean! We mermen are SUPERIOR!" Arlong lunged at him, teeth ready to crush his skull. Luffy dove to the ground, grabbing two of Hatchan's fallen blades from the above tier.

"And when I can't do anything, I have others who will help me!" he shouted, wielding the two blades like a pro. He swiped at Arlong's chest, shaving a thin line of red onto his blue skin. Arlong growled at the pain and grabbed the blade, snapping it in two. Luffy merely tossed it to the side and drew his own blade, and stabbed at Arlong. Sanji, who was sitting off to the side, quirked an eyebrow.

"What? He can use Nitoryuu?" Luffy slashed at Arlong's face with Hatchan's stolen blade. Arlong caught it in his teeth and chewed it to bits. Luffy sheathed his own sword and smashed Arlong to the ground.

"I'm not a sword master!" he proclaimed. Johnny, who was stunned by the display, found his voice.

"What? But he was wielding it so well…"

"I can't steal treasure from under great pirates' noses! I can't cook! I can't come up with a plan that will never fail! I can't command a fleet of over fifty ships! I can't snipe someone from a huge distance!" Nami, with a start, realized he was talking about his crew. "If I don't have other people with me to help where I don't know things, then I KNOW I will die!" Arlong rolled to a sitting position and chuckled.

"Pathetic. And you're the captain? They must hate you. Why should they risk their lives to save someone like you? What can you do?" Luffy stared at him for a long time.

"I can kick your ass." Arlong growled. Luffy smirked. "What, did that hit a soft spot?"

"DIE!" Arlong screamed as he launched himself at Luffy. Luffy merely dodged out of the way. When he rolled to, Arlong was gone.

"Where'd he go?" he wondered aloud.

"Luffy! In the water!" Nami shouted to him. Luffy turned, and there, swimming above the water like an ominous symbol of death, was a shark fin. Luffy stared at it, and a memory resurfaced. He couldn't help but grin.

"Duuuuuuuuuuh dun." He said. Sanji couldn't help it. He snorted with barely suppressed laughter. "Duuuuuuuuh dun. Duuuuuuuuuuh dun. Duuuuuh dun. Duuuuuuh dun. Duuuuh dun. Duuuuuh dun. Duuuuuh dun. Duuh dun duuh dun duuuh dun duuh dun DAHDAHDAHHHH!"

"SHARK ON DARTS!" Arlong launched himself out of the water at the very instant that Luffy finished his sound affects. Luffy merely melted, and Arlong passed straight through him into the building. Sanji couldn't help himself. He fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sanji pounded the ground with his fist, tears rolling down his face. Luffy grinned madly as Arlong shoved himself out of the hole he had made.

"HOLD STILL!"

"You've lost, Arlong. There's nothing you can do to me." Luffy spread his arms wide. "Come on. Take your best shot at me. I dare you." Arlong growled.

"STRAW HAT!" a voice shouted from the side. Luffy whirled around to see Sogeking standing there, a sick grin on his face. "One downed merman, order up!" Arlong looked between the two and grinned.

"Good job, Usopp!"

"My name's not Usopp!"

"If I can't do anything to you, then I choose HIM!" he leaped down and punched through the wall, grabbing a massive blade. Arlong launched himself at Sogeking, blade spinning wildly. "SHARK ON SAW!" Sogeking could only watch, horrified, as the shark merman hurtled towards him.

"NO!" Luffy shouted. A huge mass of water shot up from the pool, and smashed into Arlong, sending him flying into the second floor. "YOU BASTARD!" Luffy screamed as he jumped after him. Nami could only stare with wide eyes.

'Second floor… left window…'

"What the hell is this?" Luffy looked around, papers everywhere. He had the distinct feeling he had seen this room before, but he had no idea where. Arlong chuckled.

"This is the map room! The room for the girl to draw her maps!" Luffy's eyes hardened. This was where he had seen the room before. "These are all sea maps that Nami drew for us. Impressive, isn't it?"

"Horrifying, more like…" Luffy stood. "This room is an abomination."

"This room is my treasure!" Arlong shouted. "This is the fruit of her eight years of labor. My treasure! We know the seas like the back of our hand, but we cannot draw maps! That's why we have her, with her keen eye!" Luffy smashed his fist into Arlong's face.

"SHUT UP!" he roared. "Does Nami want to work here, drawing maps she does not want to draw! NO! Did she have fun here! NO! Has she been able to truly laugh here! NO!"

"A tool does not need to laugh!" Arlong swung the kiribachi at Luffy's head. He caught it by the blade, and Arlong's eyes widened. 'What! Why can't I move kiribachi!'

"TOOL!" the blade snapped under Luffy's grasp. His fist shot out, grazing by Arlong's face. It smashed into a desk, sending it flying out a newly created hole. "This room is her eight years of sadness! I know what I need to do now! I can't let this room continue to exist!" he slammed his fist into the bookshelf, sending that flying as well.

"No! DON'T!" Arlong shouted as Luffy drew his sword and began slicing map after map. "You bastard! Nami worked hard on those!"

"DON'T PRETEND LIKE YOU GIVE A SHIT ABOUT HER!" Luffy screamed. "This entire base reeks of her hatred! I'LL DESTROY IT ALL!" he began madly pinwheeling his arms, and felt the power flow underneath his fingertips.

"NO! SHARK ON GEAR!" Arlong launched himself at Luffy, teeth open to snatch a bite out of the straw hat wearer.

"HAPY OOMIZU!" Luffy yelled as the huge tidal wave of water growing outside the base smashed into Arlong Park. The entire base toppled.

"Nami! We need to get out of here! The park is going to fall!" Yosaku grabbed her by the arm.

"LUFFY!" Arlong Park crumpled in on itself like a deck of cards. With an almighty crash, it toppled to the ground, kicking up massive clouds of dust. The world held it's breath for a second as the unspoken question hung in the air: who won? "Luffy…"

The top of the pile of rubble exploded outwards, and Luffy stood on top of Arlong Park, on top of the symbol of oppression, on top of the symbol of Nami's sadness. "NAMI!" he screamed. Nami looked up at him with awestruck eyes. "YOU ARE MY NAKAMA!" Nami slowly lifted a hand to her mouth, her head nodding as her eyes uncontrollably leaked.

There was absolutely no denying it in Nami's mind. This single declaration, this single act of defeating Arlong, this simple fact that _she was his nakama_, it made it perfectly clear in her mind. It could not have been more clear if it were as bright as the sun.

She had fallen for Luffy. She had fallen head over heels, fallen irrevocably, fallen hopelessly, fallen helplessly. She had fallen for Luffy, for her captain, for her _nakama_. It was clear to her now. There was no denying it. And it felt good to realize it. It felt good to know that she had someone that she loved. It made her feel…

"He won!" a villager whispered almost disbelievingly.

"He won!" Gen grinned madly.

"We won!" Nako stared happily.

"WE WON!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted together. The entire cocoyashi village broke into raucous cheers.

"ARLONG PARK, HAS FALLEN!" they grabbed Luffy bodily and threw him up in the air, cheering all the while. Luffy grinned like a lunatic as they held him high above their heads. However, a hand slipped, and with a loud thump, Luffy was head down on the ground. Luffy simply laughed it off.

"Not the first time, I've done that, but it never gets old!" he suddenly felt a weight on his head that he knew, and a hand that he didn't. He looked behind him, and saw Nami with a shy smile. Luffy jumped to his feet and slapped her hand. "We won."

"We won." She whispered back. He giggled happily, and it wasn't long before she was as well. "We won."

"That's enough, scumbags!" a voice shouted out. Luffy turned and scowled. Nezumi, with a poultice over his nose, was standing there, with a contingent of marines by his side.

"Not him!" a villager shouted. He chuckled.

"Well, this must be my lucky day! Good job. I enjoyed the show. But I never would've thought, that these mermen would be defeated by you silly pirates. But thanks to you, Arlong's bounty, as well as all of Arlong park's riches, will belong to us now! Everyone, put down your weapons! I, captain Nezumi of the marine's sixteenth battalion, will take over from here~!" a hand grabbed him by the back of his coat.

"Hey. You. Shut up. You're ruining the good mood." Gin muttered, an evil aura surrounding him. With a slam of his tonfa, Nezumi was down and out for the count. His marines followed suit quickly afterwards. "What, are the marines accepting anybody who walks through their doors now?"

"They are pretty weak." Luffy quipped.

"Yes… they generally are…" a voice among the rubble spoke up. Luffy looked over his shoulder to see Kuro shakily standing up. "I go to sleep for five minutes… and the entire park's destroyed. What the hell… happened while I was out, captain?"

"I kicked Arlong's ass, Kuro." Nezumi's swollen eyes widened at the name. Nami walked over to his body and knelt down, placing a tender hand on his cheek.

"This is for trying to kill Gen-san, and ruining Bellemere's oranges." She stood up and smashed her staff into his face, sending him skidding over the water.

"GHAAAAHH!" Nezumi scrambled back for shore. Nami was there waiting for him. She grabbed his whiskers and yanked painfully.

"You will help clean up after the mermen, and reconstruct Goza village! And you can't touch even a bit of the mermen's riches! They belong to the people of the island! And one more thing… GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!"

"I don't want it anymore…" he mumbled around swollen lips. She dropped his face, and he scurried out to the opening to the sea. "This won't be forgotten, you lousy pirates! You, straw hat guy, you're the captain! You're name's Luffy! You're gonna be big after this! And you! Kuro of a thousand plans!" Kuro stiffened at his title. "We know now that you're still alive! You can't escape us! Mark my words!" he swam away. Sanji tapped his cigarette ash away.

"He said we're going to be big."

"How'd he know I'm gonna be pirate king?"

"He wasn't talking about that, idiot!" Sogeking shouted. "Honestly, how in the hell can you be a pirate captain?"

"He's the… captain… because he is…" Zoro muttered for the first time, forcing himself to his feet. "Kuro… you bastard…" Kuro shrugged.

"You were about to pass out on your feet. I saved you the trouble. It wouldn't be good for the first mate to die." Kuro held up his bladeless gloves. "Besides, I think I've been punished enough. I am completely powerless right now. And the marines know I'm alive. That is punishment enough."

"Hey, everyone! We can't just celebrate this by ourselves! We have to carry the news to the whole island!" doctor Nako proclaimed. The villagers ran off, whooping and cheering wildly.

"Arlong Park has… ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!" Luffy looked after the screaming horde with a smile on his face, that slowly melted away into a terrifying grimace. With a mighty leap, he pinwheeled his arms in the air.

"HAPY OOMIZU!" a massive tidal wave rose up once again and smashed into the remains of Arlong park, scattering it to the four corners of the island. Luffy slowly walked toward the body in the middle, his aura slowly turning darker and darker. When he stopped by the body, his eyes were full of anger, full of hatred, full of loathing, full of _rage_. He grabbed Arlong by the neck and hoisted him into the air until even his towering frame was dangling by his toes. Arlong, amazingly, came to at that point. He quickly realized where he was, and he felt _fear_. Fear of a human, fear of a low-life human, fear of an _inferior race_.

He flailed helplessly in the air, slowly having the air in his lungs squeezed out. "Please… have mercy… have compassion… I'll never come back here… I have money… I have lots of it…"

"_NAMI'S _money!" Luffy growled. The few who were still at the park watched the spectacle, knowing where this charade was going. "You intend to pay me off with the money you have stolen from the countless innocents that you have terrorized?" he drew Arlong's face close to his. "Did you show Nami _mercy? _Did you show her _COMPASSION!" _the grip around Arlong's neck began tightening. "Today, you die!"

"Luffy, no!" a voice from the water shouted as Gold Roger leaped up, shocking everybody there as to where the hell the odd man that knew their captain came from. Luffy turned his gaze on roger, and the breath in Roger's lung froze for a split second.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't snap his neck like a twig, roger."

"Remember your vows! Remember the vows you took when you took up your mantle!" roger yelled. Luffy's hand stiffened, before going limp and tossing him away like a limp rag. Nami ran up to the strange man and slapped him in the face.

"You bastard! Do you realize what you just did! You robbed us of our revenge!"

"Revenge is a bloody thing, but necessary. This is murder in cold blood." Gold Roger said solemnly.

"Why are you defending him! Who are you!" Nami was on the point of hysteria. Gold Roger spread his arms wide.

"I have many names, and I have no name, for they drift with the currents." Arlong's eyes widened, more fearful than they had ever been in his life.

"Oh my god… it's true… it's really true…. you… you're real… you're not just a fairy tale!" he threw himself at the feet of Luffy and roger, hands clasped over his head. "Please, sires! Please! Have mercy! Have mercy on me! I have no idea! I had no idea you were real!" Luffy kicked the groveling merman in the side, toppling him over to the side.

"Shut up. Be grateful to roger here. Without him, you'd be dead." Arlong looked up to mercifully thank his savior, only for his robust blue skin to turn a deathly pale white. He pointed a trembling finger at roger.

"No… no way… you! Y-y-y-y-you're dead! You were executed by the marines twenty years ago!" his voice was bordering on hysteria.

"Death cannot stop who I am." Roger responded in an even tone. Zoro surreptitiously reached into his harameki and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. He scribbled a few words down and slid them back in as roger continued talking. "I will continue to exist as long as my will has not been passed on." He turned to Luffy. "Luffy. He has been suitably chastised. I suggest you take him into-"

The air visibly turned to ice. "NO. If you are about to say what I think you are about to say, then I will expose what you really are, and then I will clobber you into a bloody pulp for even THINKING that. If you were about to say that I let this merman, this _MURDERER,_ become my nakama…" Gold Roger smashed Luffy to the ground. Blood flew from Luffy's mouth.

"You, clobber ME, into a bloody pulp! You, who know what I am better than anyone! You are one hundred years too early to tell me that!" he walked towards Luffy's fallen frame. "Don't you EVER forget who the master is! I may have taught you all of your tricks, but I most CERTAINLY have not taught you all of MINE!"

"This merman has killed dozens of innocent men, women and children! He has caused endless suffering to countless more! And you suggest that I let him become my NAKAMA! You go too far, roger!"

"We are impartial to all of that! We are the protectors of the realm! If any merman willingly submits to our will, then we cannot harm them! You WILL recruit him!" Gold Roger roared. "Or I will take from you the very reason that you continue to exist!" Luffy's eyes widened and clutched at the golden hourglass around his neck.

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Try me. It is mine by right. You are just borrowing it for a while. I can take it back whenever I please." Luffy scowled as darkly as possible. The rest of the crew, and the few villagers knew that they were missing something vital, but to them, it looked like the new man was somehow blackmailing their savior into SAVING Arlong. Kuro pushed up his glasses with his bladeless gloves.

"This is becoming rather entangled." Luffy was silent, before speaking.

"… One hair. If he puts one HAIR, out of line, I will kill him where he stands, and then I will hunt your ass down and slaughter you, too." He whirled around and stalked away towards the village. Nami reached out a hand for his shoulder.

"Luffy…"

"Leave me. I'm heading back to the ship." His aura was almost black as night by the time that he dipped over the horizon. Arlong looked up to Gold Roger, who sighed in frustration.

"Well, that could have gone better…" he walked over to the prone body of Kuroobi, bodily picked him up, and tossed him into the sea. He slapped his hands together, as if in prayer. "Mizu Mizu salacia zenchi." A waterspout shot up from the water, with the stingray merman inside. The onlookers watched with fascination as the many wounds covering his body slowly knitted themselves back together. When the merman was injury-free, the spout turned at a forty-five degree and spat him out on the concrete. Kuroobi coughed up water, and looked around.

"What…? What happened here?"

"My brethren! You are okay!" Arlong shouted. He looked to Gold Roger. "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not done. And you still have Luffy to deal with."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hello? Helloooo!" Nezumi screamed into the den den mushi.

"Yes, marine headquarters here." the voice on the other end said in a bored monotone.

"Marine headquarters, hello! This is the marine's sixteenth battalion captain Nezumi, marine code #00733! I have a report to make!"

"No need to shout, we can hear you." the other end said, rubbing out his ear.

"Listen up!" Nezumi shouted, ignoring the man's advice. "There's a pirate that wears a straw hat, named Luffy! He and his six accomplices are all against the government!" the marine scribbled down the name. "They were able to crumble Arlong Park and defeat the fearsome Arlong and his mermen! The need to be feared! I wish to place a heavy bounty on the head of their captain, 'straw hat Luffy'! I'm sending his picture right now!"

"roger." The marine drawled.

"In addition! One of his accomplices has been confirmed to be the infamous, 'Kuro of a thousand plans'!" Nezumi shouted. The marine straightened up. Now THERE was some interesting news.

"And you say that he is one of straw hat Luffy's accomplices? That he serves under him?"

"Yes! I wish to reinstate and heighten his bounty!" the marine furiously scribbled down the info.

"The authenticity of your claims will be reviewed at a later date. After we send it to the higher-ups."

"You got it! He is a villainous pirate! I want him DEAD OR ALIVE! I WANT A HIGH BOUNTY ON HIS HEAD!" he slammed the receiver down, cutting the connection. Almost immediately, the den den mushi began burbling.

"Puru puru puru puru puru. Puru puru puru puru puru." He picked it up.

"Yes!"

"Is this captain Nezumi of the sixteenth battalion?" a cultured voice said. Nezumi stilled his breathing and cleared his throat. This sounded like a higher-up.

"Yes. This is Nezumi."

"After reviewing your financial reports in a corruption investigation, we have found that you are gaining a substantial amount of undocumented money for the past eight years. Until we find the source of this unknown money, your leadership of the sixteenth battalion is suspended." Nezumi dropped the receiver like a hot potato. 'They know!' "Furthermore, you are being placed under house arrest. Our troops have already arrived at your base and have you completely surrounded."

"HUH! NOO!" he screamed. The last official act of captain Nezumi, leader of the marine sixteenth battalion, was to begin the rise of straw hat Luffy's infamy. Because of Nezumi, his name would ring around the world.

"NOOOOOO!

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HA! Bet none of you saw THAT coming! If anybody actually DID see that coming, then I'll eat my hat!

AWWWWW, YEAH! Arlong park arc is OVAHHHH! 'Cheers wildly' yes! I feel happy now!

I just realized something. This story is going to be fuckin' EPIC. I mean, think about it! I've already got sixteen chapters, and we're not even in the Grand Line yet! Makes you wonder how long this thing's gonna take! Lol

Oh, and by the way… for those of you that might complain about how slow the updates are… that's gonna change. When I wasn't able to write this chapter, I worked on other scenes that I have from this story in my head. So, when I get to those parts, I just copy and paste them into the story! Joy and happiness!

For those of you that watch the most recent Japanese subs, or are up to date on scanlations of One Piece manga… NO, I did not kill the relevant character in this. They stabbed his heart. His species have THREE. So don't scream at me about that! I'm not about to kill off one of my favorite bad-guy-turned-good-guy characters!

I pulled an all-nighter last night to get this to you guys, so you better be damn grateful! And sorry about the wait! I had this done two days ago, but the login was being a bitch! Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten gets my ass into high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	17. Aftermath

You know, I wasn't planning on writing this chapter. I intended to move right on to the Loguetown arc, and onto the Grand Line. But, as I was scrolling through a lot of LuNa stories (trying to get my fix! xD) I saw a story called love suicide. Curious, I opened it up. it wasn't a really long story – it only has two chapters – and it hasn't been updated in forever, and has most likely been abandoned. And yet… the first chapter inspired me. so, thank the author who wrote that story for an entire extra-long chapter with fluffy sprinkles on top.

There's been a public outcry of 'why'd Luffy allow that fish-bastard onto the crew! He wouldn't have done that in a million years!' so, there's going to be some elaborating on that in this chapter, too.

Oh, and by the way… when the time in this chapter comes, remember… I hate yaoi, so it most DEFINITELY isn't what it looks like at first.

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Disclaimer: the animaniac says: I don't own One Piece! Yaaaaaay!

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A man walked through the streets of cocoyashi village, Arlong meekly following behind him. the villagers slinked back and screamed, terrified. Arlong did not move a muscle to retaliate as he followed after the man.

"you do realize that you deserve this treatment?" the man said to Arlong.

"yes, my liege. Whatever you say." Arlong bowed his head as they walked to the Going Merry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy slammed his fist against the wall of the captain's quarters, furious. "damn that roger! How DARE he use that against me! and making me recruit that damn merman… I should hunt him down and lop off his head!" he growled, before a voice called out from outside.

"get out here, Luffy! your recruit is waiting for you!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed. Luffy's eyebrow twitched as he practically blew the door off it's hinges.

"who the hell are you!" he shouted at the stranger at Arlong's side. The man clutched at his chest, feigning a mortal wound.

"Luffy, I'm hurt. I saved your life and tutored you all these years, and you don't know who I am?" the man's body shimmered, and Gold Roger stood there, grinning like the cat who caught the canary. Luffy gaped like a gasping fish, his eyes slowly, ever so slowly, gaining sparkles.

"a…aw…awesome…" he breathed. Gold Roger grinned.

"isn't it, though! I got the idea from a dead water god from before Kronos. He could control his appearance, and was a master of shapeshifting." Luffy pumped his arms up and down, completely enraptured.

"teach me! teach me! teach me!" Gold Roger waved him away, a sly grin on his face.

"maybe later… if you're good." Luffy pouted as he led Arlong up onto the ship. Only after Roger and Arlong had entered the men's quarters did he realize that he had completely distracted him from his hatred. "why that manipulative little bastard…" He growled, without any real venom in it. He couldn't hate him, not while there was such an awesome ability up in the air. Luffy grinned. "point for you, roger. You're good." Roger, on the other side of the door, grinned. He turned to Arlong.

"I think I just offered a carrot and a stick to Luffy. you're on the crew, Arlong." Arlong bowed as low as his massive frame would allow him.

"thank you, my liege. I was worried that straw hat would be… more furious than that." Gold Roger chuckled.

"yes, he would have been furious. That's why I nipped it in the bud." Arlong cocked his head, clearly not understanding. "Luffy, for all of his intelligence, is a man of a simple mindframe. If something is incredibly flashy or awe-inspiring, it will completely distract him for at least a minute before his mind gets back on track. He won't be able to think about anything other than that 'awesome' thing for quite some time, even after that." Arlong's eyes widened.

"the transformation…" he grinned. "you are one sly human, my liege." Gold Roger bowed.

"I've had years of practice." He melted into a puddle of water and flew through the air towards the ruins of Arlong park. Along the way, he spotted a prone body laying in a rice field, charred. Roger landed and stuck a finger to his neck. "alive. But damn! what the hell could have done this to him?" he twirled his arms around, and the water flowed into a condensed bubble. Chuu floated up into the center of the bubble of water. "Mizu Mizu salacia zenchi." The broken and charred flesh flaked off of him as the broken body of Chuu healed itself. When the process was done, the bubble burst, and Chuu flopped down on the road. Roger slung his body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "alright then!" he melted into water, and the body of Chuu floated towards Arlong park.

Kuroobi was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the legend of the two kings was real, and that he had met both, when Chuu's unconscious body flopped in front of him. Gold Roger reformed into a body. Kuroobi went into a kneel. "my liege. How may I serve you?"

"at ease, my subject." Gold Roger waved his hand, and Kuroobi stood. "how is Hatchan doing?" he looked over at the octopus, who was still unconscious after his healing. Kuroobi grimaced.

"well, he'll live, thanks to you. but beyond that, I have no idea. I think the blade in his chest hit one of his hearts, and there were puncture wounds in his left arms, and they show no signs of movement." Roger frowned.

"Kuro hit the neurons in his left side, paralyzing his arms. If he wasn't in battle, and he had a lot better aim, it would definitely be permanent. But he was, and he doesn't, so I can't tell. And you?" Kuroobi's hand went to his back.

"it's… hard to move my lower half. The human got in a really good hit on my spine. I think he may have dislocated it a bit. I can do it with effort, but I am in no shape for battle."

"neither of you three are." Roger confirmed. "we don't have a doctor with us, and I highly doubt that cocoyashi village doctors would be willing to look at you three, seeing as what you did to them." Kuroobi grimaced.

"it was what Arlong-san told us to-"

"I'm not blaming anybody. I'm merely stating the facts. And we can't have anybody on the ship that isn't combat ready." Roger interrupted. Kuroobi's face fell as he realized what he was saying.

"you aren't taking us with you. you are leaving us three behind."

"in a nutshell, yes. Once the other two regain consciousness, go into the sea and find a merman doctor that will treat you. my healing is good, but it's only a temporary fix. Once you are healed up, you are free to do whatever you want. However, keep in fighting shape. We may call on you in the future." Kuroobi stroked his chin.

"well… Hachi, Chuu and I have always wanted to open a Takoyaki stand together… we joined the sunny pirates before we could do that, but now, I guess we could rekindle that idea…" roger grinned.

"that's a fabulous idea! You have no idea when you are going to need a floating food stand. May I suggest basing it in the Grand Line? You'll get more customers there. and there are more merfolk in the Grand Line, so you could hire more help. Make it a merfolk food stand." Kuroobi nodded, a small smile on his face.

"I like that. thank you, my liege." Gold Roger began walking away.

"no trouble at all. And remember. We aren't abandoning you. we're just taking you off duty for a while. Putting you on medical leave, if you will." He melted into the sky, and Kuroobi was left with his words, and the will to open a takoyaki stand.

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"Nojiko!" a boy shouted as the woman downed a mug of grog. She looked over at the running boy, a surprised look on her face.

"oh, chabo!"

"I had a look at Arlong park! It's not even there anymore! No rubble, no stones, nothing!" Nojiko's eyes widened slightly at that. that was a lot more damage than she had seen. "where is he? The man who defeated Arlong! He's still here, right!" she pointed over at a house.

"he's right there." chabo turned and saw a teenager, no more than seventeen, leaning against the wall, a straw hat shadowing his eyes. He turned and pointed at him, uncertainty in his eyes. She nodded. "yeah, you can talk to him." chabo shyly inched his way up to the savior.

"ummm… are you the guy that beat Arlong?" the savior looked down at him and smiled lightly.

"yeah. Name's Monkey D. Luffy. what do you want?" chabo felt his mouth go dry, before bowing deeply.

"thank you! thank you for freeing us! We've worked so hard to survive… you freed us from Arlong…" Luffy looked away from chabo, a distant look in his eyes.

"… don't thank me, kid. You don't know what I've really done." Chabo looked up at him with confusion, before plowing straight onward.

Uhh… you're a really great person, for doing that, without any reward… and, uh… I hope that I become just like you when I grow up!" Luffy looked at him, mild shock in his eyes, before snorting.

"yeah right, kid. You couldn't become like me in a thousand years." Chabo was starting to get mad at this stranger. He may have saved them, but he didn't have to be so rude!

"oh, yeah! Well, I'll prove you wrong! I'm gonna become better than you, when I grow up! and then, when I'm greater than you, you'll say, 'oh, why wasn't I nicer to chabo-sama! Why!'" Luffy started to laugh, when a memory surfaced. Suddenly, the image of himself, ten years younger, drifted across his vision, settling right across chabo. He suddenly knew what Shanks felt like, all those years ago. To have the destiny of a child in the palm of your hands. He grinned as he hunkered down to his height.

"really now? You're gonna become better than I am?" chabo nodded furiously, an obstinate look on his face. "well, if you're gonna do that, then you're gonna have to train your ass off, every day! There is no slacking off, if you want to become better than I am! How old are you?"

"I'm eight!" he proclaimed. Luffy felt his heart give a thump.

'just like me… and the cycle begins anew…' he grinned. "well, now! That's right about when I started! You've got no excuse now!" the boy looked like he was about to protest, but kept his mouth shut. Luffy looked him straight into the eye. "if you're gonna meet me at the top, then there is one thing that I have to tell you."

"what?" chabo asked.

"make your way through like living it to the fullest, because you never know when it might end. and never let someone else make your own descisions for you. because if you do, then you'll be forced to do things you don't want to. Things you'll probably regret for the rest of your life. Like I just did in this town." He pushed himself off and began walking away slowly. "see you 'round, kid." Chabo stared at his retreating back, pondering his words.

"Arlong is alive!" a man shouted, running through the streets. The crowds immediately stopped dancing, and a woman screamed. "Arlong and his mermen are alive! They were being led to a pirate ship docked at the harbor! The one that belongs to the man who defeated him!" chabo's head whipped around, staring at where Luffy was, only to blink.

The man in the straw hat was gone.

"like I just did in this town…" chabo echoed the parting words. "he defeated Arlong, then he saved him…?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"GYAAAAAAHHH!" a scream rang out from a building, with Sanji and Gin sitting outside, Sogeking leaning against the wall.

"wow. He's really kicking up a stink about this. You'd think he was getting murdered in there or something." Gin absently twirled his tonfa.

"well, Zoro-kun WAS pretty torn up, from what I could see. And he apparently tried to stitch himself back together. I'd say they have to take out the stitching and stick it back in. that's not going to be pleasant for anybody." Sogeking said clinically. Sanji nodded.

"yeah. He would've gotten into even more trouble if he hadn't been knocked out by Kuro." The two nodded in agreement.

"GHHHH!" Zoro clenched his teeth as he seethed in pain. Nako threaded a needle in and out of the wound, reprimanding him all the way.

"idiot! You tried to handle an injury of this size on your own?"

"i-it hurts!"

"are you guys really pirates? Do you even have a doctor on your ship?"

"nah. We're waiting on that." Luffy said, draped over the windowsill. "I figure that can wait until we get to the Grand Line. I hear drum island has some fine doctors."

"Luffy…" Zoro craned his head to look at his captain.

"but first! A musician!" he cheered.

"why a musician?" nako asked, threading the wound closed.

"well, it gets pretty boring on a pirate ship with nothing to do. Musicians help that out a LOT! You can't be a pirate without a musician on board!" Luffy grinned and took a bite out of the chunk of meat in his hand. Nako slapped Zoro's torso to the bed as it jerked up in reflex to the pain.

"idiot…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"so, do you think it can be removed?" Nami said as she lay topless on the bed, as nako swabbed at her shoulder with an alcohol swab.

"leave it to me. I've been thinking of how to remove it." He fiddled with some instruments on his table. "of course, there will be some scarring. That;s the nature of these things." Nami smiled wistfully.

"I was stupid. I knew it couldn't take it off." Nako frowned at her words as he worked at removing the tattoo of the Arlong pirates. Nami thought to herself for a moment, before speaking again. "hey, doctor."

"hmm?"

"I'd like you to make a new one over it." She held up a piece of paper, before pulling it back down again. "no, it's not finished. Do you have a pencil?" nako, after a moment of hesitation, got up and grabbed a pencil from his desk. "thank you." she took the pencil and quickly scribbled an added design onto the tattoo. "there. now it's done. I'd like you to make a tattoo of this." She gave it to him. he folded it open and looked at it once. He chuckled.

"alright, Nami. I think I can guess why you made that addition." She smiled.

"I think it fits. Don't you think?" he smiled back at her.

"I think it does, Nami. I think it does."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy walked nonchalantly through the partying crowds, the villagers giving small bows of their heads before turning away back to their dancing. He sighed. "Man, word travels fast in this place. Look what you've done, roger. You've turned this entire village against me."

"It was for your own good." The man responded. "And what the hell are you wearing?" Luffy looked down at his regular attire.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gold Roger growled.

"What does- what does- are you joking, my boy! You can't wear this to a party! Luffy, you've got to get dressed up, pull out the Sunday clothes, make yourself fancy! It's a party!" Luffy sweatdropped.

"You really like parties, don't you?"

"Damn right I do! I love parties!" he responded. He materialized suddenly and dragged Luffy behind an alley. "Now, come with me!" he grabbed the hourglass around his neck and twisted it, bringing them back to Atlantis. Luffy glared.

"I hope you realize that you could have blown my cover there." Gold Roger shrugged.

"It's a party, nobody's paying attention to their surroundings. Now, come!" he grabbed Luffy by the hand and dragged him into a room that he had never seen before. Inside were rows upon rows of fancy clothes. "Pick one, get dressed, and get out there!" Luffy sweatdropped again.

"You have this many party clothes…?"

"Damn right! I love parties! And shiny things! Anything flashy!" Gold Roger declared. Luffy sighed.

"Fine. Get out, and I'll pick something." Gold Roger ran out of the room. Luffy grabbed a non-assuming black pinstripe suit. He quickly got into it and walked out. Gold Roger quickly shoved him back in.

"What is this, a funeral? Pick something more colorful! More festive!" Luffy growled.

"What are you, a fashion consultant?" he grabbed a purple suit.

"Oh my god, Luffy, what happened? Did a grape attack you? NEXT!" Luffy hung his head.

"This is going to go on forever…" he looked through all the suits hanging on hangers for something that would just let him get out of there. "Maybe a combo of stuff will impress him enough to let me go…" almost immediately, he saw it. He grinned. "Perfect!" he grabbed the two articles of clothing, stripped, and stopped. He looked himself over, eyebrow quirked. "did I put on muscle? I remember being lankier right now…" he flexed his muscles into the mirror and noted that his chest had broadened and his arms didn't look like twigs anymore. He shrugged. "eh. Must be the meat." and with that, he finished putting on the outfit. He walked out. Gold Roger took one look at him and started a slow clap. A water clone popped up and continued the slow clap. One after another, more and more water clones of Gold Roger popped up for the slow clap until it was an applauding audience. Luffy bowed mockingly.

"Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind. I'd like to thank my grandfather for this great honor bestowed upon me, and my crew, and my mentor Gold Roger, king of the pirates…" Gold Roger laughed.

"Don't get cocky, boy. But well done on the outfit. If I was a girl, I'd probably ask you out." Luffy shuddered.

"Thank you for putting that disturbing imagery into my head." Roger laughed again.

"Brat. But seriously, the outfit is wonderful. Fits you like a glove." Luffy looked himself over.

"Isn't it? I felt inspired." The white business suit with gray undershirt worked quite well with his body type. The kicker, in Luffy's opinion, however, was the captain's cloak he was wearing along with it. The high-collared black cloak with red trim and underside, with golden epilates hanging from the shoulders made the entire outfit flow. Gold Roger wrapped an arm around Luffy.

"It certainly is a marvelous outfit. But it does nothing if there's nobody to see it! Let's go!" he grabbed the Kronos hourglass off his neck, which he never took off, twisted it, and returned to the present. Gold Roger gave Luffy a stumbling push, gave him a thumbs up, and melted back into the ground. Luffy growled, but was immediately stopped when a pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist.

"Well, well, well! Haven't seen a cutie like you around here in a long time! What's your name, handsome?" Luffy stiffened. He turned around. The woman got a look at his face and jerked backwards. "Luffy!"

"Nojiko! What are you doing!" Luffy said to the older woman. Nami's sister immediately whipped around, hoping that he had not caught sight of her blush.

"Oh, ah, err… nothing! Nothing!" an awkward silence between the two grew, around all of the merriment of the festival. "Umm… that's a really nice outfit you have there. I didn't recognize you at all without your hat." Luffy put a questioning hand up to his head, only to realize that his treasured straw hat wasn't there. He silently swore.

"Dammit, roger!" he grinned sheepishly. "Err, yeah. I left it back at the ship." The silence grew. "So… yeah. I'll… be seeing you." Luffy slowly walked away, trying to contain the growing disgust that his navigator's sister hit on him. Gold Roger cackled maniacally.

"What did I tell you, boy! The clothes make the man! Do you think that would have happened if you were still wearing your old clothes? No! It wouldn't have! Now get out there and party!" Luffy grumbled. A squeal grabbed his attention.

"Oh my god! Look at that guy! He is SO hot!" a girl exclaimed to her friends as she pointed at Luffy. The captain groaned. He looked over at the girls, and they all squealed in unison.

"Oh my god! He looked at me!" the first girl exclaimed.

"No, he looked at me! I'm the better looking!" another girl spoke.

"No, me! You two are hussies!" Luffy slowly inched away from the impending catfight, only to back right into a pair of soft _somethings. _Luffy felt his horror grow as he looked up into the face of an amused woman.

"Well, you're certainly forward." She peered in as Luffy scrambled backwards. "Hmmm… and not too shabby-looking either." She nodded. "You'll do." She lunged at him as he screamed and ran away. Almost immediately, the large group of girls that had squealed at him had joined in the chase. Slowly, the horde behind him grew as Luffy cried tears of pure and unadulterated fear.

"SANJIIIIII! ZOROOOOOO! HELP MEEEEEEE!" he screamed. Almost immediately, his two greatest fighters were beside him.

"Luffy! What the hell is going on here!" Zoro yelled over the din of the stomping feet.

"They're like spawn from hell! They just won't give up!" he yelled back.

"Give up what, Luffy!" Zoro yelled.

"LUFFY-KUUUUUUUUN!" the horde screamed. Sanji attempted a flying kick at Luffy's head, only to fall short.

"You shit-captain! What the hell did you do to them!"

"I don't know! They just all started chasing me when I put on these clothes!" he replied.

"LUFFY-KUN! WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME!" one of them shouted.

"LUFFY-KUUUN! WILL YOU KISS ME!" another shouted.

"LUFFY-KUUUUUN! WILL YOU MARRY ME!" an extremely devoted fan girl shouted. Luffy screamed a girlish scream at that outburst. Sanji glared daggers at Luffy.

"You shit-captain! What the hell did you do to them!"

"DO SOMETHING! SAVE MEEEEE!" Luffy screamed, his captain's cloak flapping madly behind him. Sanji sighed.

"All right. But you owe me big." he whirled around, hearts in his eyes. "MELLORINE! COME TO ME, BY BEAUTIES! I SHALL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!"

"LUFFY-KUUUUUUUUN!" they shouted as they trampled the love cook under their feet without a second thought. Zoro helped the heartbroken blonde to his feet.

"Looks like you're not as popular with the ladies as captain is, ero-cook." A gray cloud immediately formed and hovered over his head as he huddled in to himself, murmuring nonsensical words that only he understood. Zoro pulled him to his feet, heading towards the bar. "What you need is to get drunk. That'll help with the pain."

None of this was helping Luffy as he was continually hounded by the pack of women. "GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Gold Roger rolled around on the 'floor' laughing his ass off.

"Look at it this way, Luffy! You're popular with the village again! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed as he continued to run. He spotted a blue-skinned figure in front of him. "ARLONG! SAVE MEEEEEEE!" the leader of the mermen looked up, saw the horde of women, and nodded. He stepped out into the road. Luffy immediately hid behind him, poking his head out occasionally from his shoulder like a scared child peeking over the shoulder of a parent at a scary large dog. The pack of women slid to a screeching stop a few feet away from the merman. Arlong grinned a toothy grin.

"Boo."

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!" the women screamed as they all scampered away with the same speed that they chased Luffy. Arlong laughed as Luffy blew out a sigh of relief. He stepped out from Arlong's shadow.

"Thank you, Arlong."

"It was nothing, my liege." Arlong did a small bow. "You seemed to need help. I'm guessing I was right."

"You have no idea." Luffy wiped the sweat off his brow. "I'm just amazed at how many there were." Arlong laughed.

"Shahahahahaha! I'm just amazed you didn't take advantage!" Luffy glared at him. Arlong held up his studded hands. "Hey, if I had that many mermaids chasing me down, I would tap that!" Luffy sighed.

"That wouldn't feel right. I don't even know them, for Kronos' sake!" Arlong nodded, almost sympathetic. The two enjoyed the silence before Arlong spoke.

"I'm sorry." Luffy shrugged.

"Hey, don't apologize to me. It's Nami that needs to hear that." the merman sighed.

"Yeah, but I doubt she'd even listen to me."

"Then you've gotta earn her trust. If she doesn't believe you're sincere, then prove to her that you're sincere. How, I don't know." Luffy grinned. "She does love money, though. And tangerines." Arlong chuckled softly. Luffy walked back towards the village. "Think about that, Arlong. Think about that for a while." And Arlong did think, as Luffy walked away.

"That was a good thing you did, Luffy." Gold Roger thought-spoke. Luffy's smile melted off his face.

"I trust him no further than I can throw him. if he puts one toe out of line, he's gone. and it'll be on your head." Roger nodded.

"I admire your self-control about this situation. Not very many people can swallow their personal feelings about someone they hate." Luffy shrugged.

"you wouldn't give me a choice in the matter, so why bother fighting it?" He strolled back into the festivities, looking around anxiously for any stalking women. "God, I'm never going to get over this paranoia." Gold Roger cackled. The captain of the Straw Hat pirates stopped at a vendor and grabbed a chunk of meat on the bone, flicking a gold coin at the seller. He bit a huge chunk out as a voice called out to him.

"Luffy…" Nami said as said man walked past her. Luffy turned his head to her and nearly choked on the meat he was chewing.

'Holy shit! Where did she get THAT!' Luffy thought to himself as he stared at the ball gown that his navigator was wearing. Gold Roger whistled appreciatively.

"Daaaaaaaaamn, boy. You've got one fiiiiine navigator." His mentor's words setoff a twinge in his stomach that Luffy ignored as he continued to stare at the dress.

The cloth was an airy blue, almost white, cut high at the legs and low at the chest for what Nami herself would have called 'maximum impact', with a long trail ending at her calves. It was an extremely revealing and sultry outfit that had many of the surrounding men staring, and subsequently slapped by their girlfriends. Luffy swallowed the meat he was chewing with an audible gulp. He shook his head to clear his mind. "you're looking beautiful tonight, Nami. Don't let Sanji see you in that, though. He might die from blood loss. We still need him."

Nami giggled lightly. "thank you. You don't look too bad yourself. Why aren't you joining in? you're our savior." She gestured to the throngs of people dancing in the street. Luffy smiled and shook his head.

"no. they don't want me. I saved the life of their greatest enemy. They wouldn't want me in there. I'm happy just watching them be so happy." Nami bit her lip as Luffy finished talking.

"Luffy… why did you save Arlong? He's serving you now, for some reason, but…" Luffy turned and looked at her.

"Nami…" he chuckled. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Nami stared.

"try me." Luffy sighed.

"not yet, Nami. Not yet." Nami opened her mouth to protest. "I will tell you everything. I will tell all of you, eventually. Just know that Arlong would stop breathing if I told him to." Nami was silent. "you decide if you believe me or not." Luffy looked up at the scaffolding, where Sogeking had just been kicked off by a band of musicians, who then began to play. Nami held out her hand.

"Want to dance?" Luffy froze. He slowly started inching away.

"Err, I, uh, I've, gotta go to the bathroom." He dashed down an alleyway, leaving Nami with a trembling lower lip and a broken heart. Luffy pulled out the Kronos hourglass and twisted it. He disappeared from the present day and reappeared in Atlantis. "ROGER! EMERGENCY!" the pirate king formed immediately.

"What?" Luffy flailed his arms wildly.

"Nami just asked me to dance, and I can't dance at all! I've practically got two left feet!" Gold Roger's eyes bugged out.

"Kronos above, that is an emergency! You can't go to a party without knowing how to dance!" he started pacing back and forth. "God, what do we do? I haven't been to a party in forever, and I can't remember any steps…" he whirled around. "ACK! It IS an emergency if I can't remember anything! He grabbed Luffy by the scruff of his cloak and dragged him outside, grabbing a diamond as an after thought. "That's it! We've got to find a dance instructor!"

"Dance instructor!" Luffy screeched.

"Yeah! Atlanteans love parties! They don't have anything else to do, since they've all got technology doing their work for them!" Gold Roger explained as he continued to drag Luffy. Luffy looked up at the surroundings and was shocked into silence.

The city was amazing. Feats of technology that Luffy had never dreamed of were whizzing about, flying through the air, carrying people, animals, goods, anything you could think of. Buildings made of iron, steel and other metals that Luffy could only guess at soared up into the air, as if they were trying to touch the sky. People of all shapes, sizes and colors ran through the streets, laughing, chatting, holding hands. Animals that Luffy had only seen on Gaimon's island were walking along their owners like they were the kings of the world. Luffy gawked, stars shining in his eyes.

"Awesome…" Gold Roger chuckled.

"Isn't it? I was so stunned when I first saw it that I fell on my butt and started babbling like an idiot. They locked me up in a mental facility until I escaped with the hourglass."

"How could the world government destroy such a place…? It's perfect…" roger grimaced.

"The ideas of madmen make sense only to the madmen themselves. Doubtless they thought society was corrupt or something like that." Luffy stood quickly and looked at Gold Roger.

"Hey! We know what's going to happen! Why don't we try and change it! We could save Atlantis!" Gold Roger backhanded him across the face.

"Idiot! Do you realize what that would do! That is so far back in time that it would erase our existence for sure! It would erase everybody that we know with absolute certainty! Do you want that!" Luffy clutched his face.

"We don't know that!"

"YES WE DO!" roger shouted, attracting the attention of the passerby. Gold Roger noticed the attention and waved merrily at them. "Don't mind us, go about your business!" the crowds began moving again. "Yes, we do know that, because I tried that once! When I went back to my time, and I found out that everybody that I loved had never been born, I traveled back again and helped them destroy it!" Gold Roger hissed. "We. Do not. Meddle with time on that grand of scale!" Luffy stared at the pirate king.

"You…" Gold Roger straightened up.

"Come. We've got a dance instructor to find." Roger hauled Luffy to his feet, and the two walked off into the city. Luffy gawked at all of the marvels that surrounded him. Gold Roger pointed at a building with neon dance shoes on it. "Here we go! This is where I learned all of my steps! The teaching is good, and the instructor is a hottie!" Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

"You think any woman with a pair of boobs and a vagina is a hottie. Have you ever even been in a serious relationship?" Gold Roger looked over his shoulder reproachfully.

"Yes! Yes I have! Though… it was when I was still alive. She's probably already dead by now." He sighed. "You know, I was really over the moon for her. I actually actively considered quitting being a pirate for her." Luffy choked on air.

"King of the pirates, not a pirate? Blasphemy!" Gold Roger chuckled.

"It's true. And, we're here." roger pulled Luffy to his feet and pointed at a female brunette instructor with a student. "See? A hottie!" Luffy shrugged.

"Eh, she's good looking. Not really my type, though." roger shrugged.

"More for me!" he sauntered over to the brunette teacher. "Tabitha?" the brunette turned around from her student, and her face lit up.

"Roger, you son of a gun! How you been, baby?" he grinned a roguish grin as he nuzzled her neck, nipping at it. Luffy's eyebrows shot up far past the legal limit.

"I've been good. Listen, you got time? I've got my boy here, and he needs some moves, stat." Tabitha looked at her pupil in her hands and shrugged.

"Hey, honey, can you come by later and pick up where we left off? He's VIP." The boy shrugged and walked out of he building. Tabitha turned her full attention to the duo. "What does he need?"

"The works. Tango, waltz, ballroom, rave, cha-cha slide, anything and everything you can give him. And I know you can. Because you're the best there is. Do it for your daddy-man." He said this as a hand slid to her belly and slightly up her shirt. She giggled as Luffy nearly gagged.

"You're such a flirt, roger. Okay, okay. Since you're a friend, I can make the first lesson free. After that, you have to pay. That okay?" roger grinned.

"Perfect!" he snatched a quick kiss from her lips as Luffy felt the bile raise in the back of his throat. Gold Roger sauntered over to Luffy, a triumphant grin on his face. "I got us free lessons for the first day."

"I'm wondering if having my nakama happy was worth seeing that entire episode. Are you a pimp or something, roger?" roger held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Please… Let's not us such harsh language. I'm not a pimp… I'm a connoisseur of women." Luffy scoffed. Gold Roger pushed him at Tabitha. "Get out there and use that lesson. I want my money's worth." Luffy refrained from commenting that he didn't spend a thing as he looked at the woman. She tapped her chin with her finger.

"All right, you've never danced before?" Luffy nodded. "All right. Do you have a sense of rhythm?"

"I like to think so." She nodded again.

"Okay, so we're not starting totally from scratch. Do you care what we start on?" he shook his head. "Okay then! Let's go with… ballroom. That's generally a good starting point for beginners." She drew close to him. "Put your hand on my waist, like this…" she grabbed his hand and put it on her hips, not seeing the ever-so-slight blush on his features. "Then I take your hand like this…" she grabbed his other hand and held it in the air. "And, we start!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Was that a blush on your face at the beginning?" roger teased as they walked away from the dance parlor. Luffy grumbled into his cloak.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." roger chuckled.

"But seriously, that wasn't half-bad for a beginner in there! Not enough for a real dance, but a good start!" Luffy scoffed.

"Are you kidding me? I felt like I was trampling her toes every other second!" Gold Roger nodded.

"Yeah! And a beginner would have trampled her toes every second! Anyways, are you tired?" Luffy waved his arms around, a curious look on his face.

"No, actually. I feel great!" Gold Roger relaxed, a pleased look on his face.

"Good. Then it's not just me. I find that no matter how long I stay in the past, I never ever get tired. I figure it's because we have no 'real' bodies to tire out, seeing as we won't be born for another couple hundred years." He grabbed the chain around Luffy's neck. "Well, since we're not tired, let's go back for another round!" he twisted the hourglass, and the landscape around them blurred. They landed back exactly where hey were as Luffy realized something.

"This is a couple hours ago!" he looked at Gold Roger. "You're going to get another free lesson out of her!" he grinned.

"Of course! Time is an easily manipulated substance for us, and we can command it! Why not milk it for all it's worth?" Luffy nodded.

"All right, let's do it!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy found he was getting used to Gold Roger's rather libidinous flirting with Tabitha, as well as his rather close proximity to her. The tenth time around, he finally snapped.

"Kronos above, roger! Show some restraint! You look like you want to fuck her on the dance floor!" Gold Roger looked up at Luffy, a surprised look on his face as Tabitha gained a rosy hue in her cheeks.

"We actually tried that once, Luffy. It didn't work after a student walked in. kind of embarrassing." Gold Roger retorted. Tabitha slapped him on the arm.

"We did not! Don't listen to him, Hun. Since you're a friend, I could give the first lesson free. After that, you have to pay. That okay?" Luffy nodded.

"That'd be great." He stepped in close to her, placing a hand on her waist and grabbing her hand in the air. "Ballroom first?"

"Alright, mister fuck-on-the-dance-floor. You decide." Luffy started off at a slow pace, dancing her across the floor. Tabitha nodded at him, an approving look on he face. "Not bad, not bad at all! Are you sure you need lessons?"

"This is all my previous instructor taught me, so I figure that I need a second opinion before I tell him to move on to something else." Tabitha nodded as he twirled her about in a pirouette.

"Well, you're really good at this. Want to try this with music?" Luffy looked at her, surprised.

"Music?" Tabitha stepped away and walked to a small metal box with circles on it. She pushed a button on it, and ballroom music filled the room. Luffy tried to contain his surprise and failed miserably.

"What? You've never seen a boom box before? Man, what kind of rock did you crawl out of?" she stepped in close as Luffy readjusted his grip. "Shall we dance?"

"We shall!" Luffy declared as they danced across the floor. The two danced the entire cassette away, oblivious to the time. At the very end, when he boom box spat up the tape, Tabitha sat down on the bench, wiping sweat off her brow. "Wow! You're really good! Your teacher must be an expert!" Luffy restrained a laugh. "I think we should move on to something else. Something different from ballroom. Something a little more… racy." Gold Roger looked up from the bench, a grin on his face. The two spoke in unison.

"Tango."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Whoo, boy! You're really good at the tango!" Tabitha sat down on the bench, massaging her arms. "Wow, that made me really hot under the collar! And I liked the rose, excellent touch!" Luffy pulled the rose in his mouth out and twirled it in his fingers.

"I thought so too. What next?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Are you sure you need dance lessons? You're pretty much an expert at everything I've thrown at you!" Tabitha asked as the two slow danced. "Why are you taking this, anyways?" Luffy shrugged.

"I've got a girl back home. She needs a friendly date to a dance." Tabitha nodded, a knowing smile on her face.

"Ahhh. Is she your girlfriend?" Luffy nearly tripped over his feet.

"wh-what, no! no! I don't she's even interested! We're just friends!" Luffy's stomach twinged as he said that. he looked down, a curious look on his face. "hmm. That's odd."

"what is?"

"I think I'm getting some bad gas or something, because my stomach has been twinging for a long time now. It's really weird…" Tabitha nodded, the knowing smile never leaving her face.

"every time you talk about that girl back home?" Luffy looked up, a curious look on his face.

"yeah… yeah, now that you mention it. You're right! I wonder why…" Tabitha grinned. She stepped away from her dance partner.

"well, I won't keep you from that girl any longer. So long, Hun." Luffy bowed to her and walked to Gold Roger. "go gettem, lover boy…"

"so, how long have we been doing this loop, roger?" the king of the sea tapped his chin.

"oh, I'd say about… a year. Give or take a few months." Luffy winced.

"jeez! That's a lot of effort for just one event. This better be worth it." Gold Roger nodded.

"it's not just for one event. This knowledge will last you your entire life." Gold Roger melted away as Luffy twisted the hourglass around his neck. Tabitha watched with fascinated and horrified eyes as two men, one she knew and one she didn't, disappeared right in front of her very eyes.

"what the hell…?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy reappeared in the alleyways of cocoyashi village amidst the massive festival of Arlong's defeat. He walked back out, remembering how he left. "man, that was some dump! I feel loads better!" he held out his hand to Nami. "may I have this dance?" Nami looked up, the tears half-formed in her eyes drying up. she started giggling uncontrollably.

"You… you really did have to go to the bathroom…" she took his hand. "Yes, I would like to have this dance."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

They danced the night away, into the early morning, long after the band had collapsed into exhaustion. Nami giggled uncontrollably as Luffy flopped to the ground, massaging his feet.

"damn… I'll take fighting enemies over that any day… that killed my feet…" Nami laughed uncontrollably at the pouting look on his face.

"stop that! I enjoyed that!" Luffy looked up at her and grinned.

"well, then it was worth it! I'm gonna make you so spoiled on us that you'll never ever think about leaving us again!" Nami had to resist her impulse to say that she wouldn't leave HIM again. She strolled off towards the forest, ball gown swishing beneath her feet. "hey! where you going?"

"to say goodbye." Was all she said before disappearing into the forest. The straw hat captain leaped after her from tree to tree, curious as to what she was doing. She strolled into a house, surrounded by orange trees. He gave a start as he realized it was her house. He heard scuffling noises as he sat down on the roof, waiting for her to come out. He heard her sigh and tape something onto something. He heard her sigh.

"it's finally over, bellemere-san." Luffy arched an eyebrow. Who was she talking to? "after eight long years, we're finally free. Me, and everyone else." Luffy extended his senses, and felt nobody there.

'no… wait…' he hesitated, as he felt something faint. 'it's not… what is that?' "it's just like you said. If you keep living, good times will eventually come again! It came true! And now, everybody on the island is smiling from the bottom of their hearts." Luffy scratched his head as he puzzled over the not-quite-there person. 'god, if only I could see…'

"me? I've decided to leave the island!" Luffy could feel her smiling. "don't worry about me, I'll be okay. They're really good people, and pretty strong, too. And the captain… we wouldn't even have this chance if wasn't here." Luffy beamed with pride at the praise.

"for the past eight years, I've drawn so many maps, but this is the only one I managed to save. From now on, I'm only going to draw maps for myself. I want to see the world! Together with my nakama, and my…" she trailed off. He heard her chuckle. "you probably can tell, bellemere-san. Did you ever feel this way for someone? Something like this?" Luffy scratched his head. Where did this come from?

"so… I won't be coming back for a while." Her voice became more subdued, as if sad. "I'm going now, okay?" he heard her footsteps become louder as she walked towards the door. And as she passed the doorway, a funny thing happened in Luffy's sight.

She stumbled forward, as if pushed by an invisible force, As if something was trying to gently get her out of the house. She whirled around, confused, before a happy smile crossed her face. She giggled as she walked off happily. Luffy frowned at what he saw, and felt.

Right at the moment she stumbled, that feeling of somebody-there-but-not-there intensified. The captain leaped down from the roof and pushed open the door. "I know you're in here. I want to know who you are." The room remained silent, although there was a shimmer in the seat at the table. Luffy focused his eyes onto the shimmer. "what…?"

A gust of wind blew through the room, with three green, fertile leaves blowing with it. It swirled around the shimmer, and it solidified into a female figure. Luffy's eyes shot open. "what! Kronos?" the woman smiled at Luffy, and Luffy instantly knew what she wanted to say.

"you're her mother?" Luffy asked incredulously. The ghost, for that was Luffy knew it was, nodded. "what? You want me to deliver a message to… Genzo?" the ghost nodded. Luffy was silent for a bit, before nodding. "alright. I got it." Luffy turned and began walking out of the house, before stopping and turning his head back. "don't worry. I'll take good care of her. Nami is in safe hands." He pushed open the door and left. Bellemere smiled, before dissolving into a brilliant spectacle of lights.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kronos stiffened lightly, before smiling. **"A soul. Excellent. Not as potent as a follower, but that helps me immensely." **He turned in his throne and looked over the field of bodies laid out in front of him. **"soon, my brethren. Soon, we shall rise once more! I was the only one to survive the godless rampage, but they shall learn that one of the gods is more than enough!"**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Zoro let out a pitiful groan as the sun's light him. he lifted up his arm as a shield as he suinted into the bright light. 'damn… my head feels like someone used it for a baseball… I don't remember getting that plastered in my life…' he absently noticed that he seemed to have bunked in a cheap hotel, and that he was Stark naked as he dragged himself out of the bed. 'what the hell did I do last night? There was the village's party, then Sanji and I got drunk, and then… nothing…' a light snore greeted his ears, and Zoro stiffened. 'that was a MALE snore… oh, god…' he turned around, ever so slowly, to see Sanji on the other side of the bed, with only his head visible.

"OH SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!" Zoro screamed, his face turning as green as his hair. His hand immediately went to his butt, feeling it. "no pain there… then… oh, god…" he ran to the trash bucket and emptied the previous night's dinner.

"mmmph… shut up, marimo-head, I'm trying to sleep…" Sanji murmured, before his eyes shot wide open. "marimo-head!" he almost leaped out of bed, naked, and stared at Zoro, who was still emptying his stomach into the bin. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

"shut up… I can't even remember last night…" Zoro murmured, wiping green sludge from his mouth. Sanji's hand went to his ass, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"thank god… no pain in my ass…" he face went pale. "but… that means…" Zoro looked at him, slightly confused.

"wait, you don't have a pain in your ass?"

"you don't?"

"no!" Zoro nearly screamed. Sanji cocked his head, confused.

"then, why are we naked in the same-"

"uuugh. You two, SHUT UP. I'm trying to sleep." A third voice grumbled. The two froze mid-sentence as they slowly looked, in unison, down at the bed. A mop of blue hair was all they could see. They slowly looked up and met each other's eyes. They did a double-take. Triple. Quadruple.

"I'm not sure whether to be disturbed or mildly turned on."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The morning brought fervent activity as Zoro brought up box after box onto the ship. "is that it?" Gin asked as he took ahold of the box.

"yeah. That's the last of the supplies they gave us." Zoro flung himself up onto the deck.

"the villagers really pulled out the stops. They've given us all the food we'll need for quite some time." Sanji took a drag on his cigarette, not daring to meet Zoro in the eye, lest they expose last night's debauchery with the navigator's sister. 'damn… if only I could remember!'

"we've only been here a few days, but it feels like we've been here for weeks. There are so many memories left here." Gin smiled.

You two guys staying here?" Luffy looked down on Johnny and Yosaku, who had struck their poses.

"yeah. We're goin' back to our normal job as bounty hunters. We'll say out goodbyes for now, but hopefully, we'll meet again in the future." Zoro grinned.

"take care, a'ight?"

"you too, aniki!" Luffy squinted at the village, and at a pair of figures approaching. Luffy leaped across the sea of heads and landed in front of Genzo and Sogeking. Sogeking nodded.

"you guys leaving?" Luffy nodded, a sad smile on his face.

"are you sure you're not coming with us, Usopp?"

"my name's not Usopp! And yeah! This village needs some real fighters, in case other pirates show up." he looked at the ship docked at the harbor, and whistled. "that's a nice ship you've got there. what's her name?" Luffy smiled wistfully.

"her name is the Going Merry. We got her from a girl named Kaya, in a place called syrup village." Sogeking nodded.

"Kaya… that's a nice name for a – GHHHH!" Sogeking dropped like a stone to the ground, clutching his head and writhing in pain. Genzo, who Sogeking had been supporting, nearly toppled over at the loss of a side's support.

"Usopp! Are you alright!" Luffy held out hands to Usopp, unsure of what to do.

"syrup village, Going Merry, Kaya, Kuro, klahadore, pepper, onion, carrot, pirates, KAYA!" he mumbled. "straw hat!" he blinked. "I… my name! I remember my name now! My name is Usopp!" he screamed and hunkered down even more. Luffy, with a start, realized that he was regaining his memory.

"Usopp! Remember Kaya! You used to go to her house and tell her tall tales! She was so sick, that she couldn't go out on adventures, so you'd make up adventures for her, so she wouldn't feel bad!" Sogeking stiffened, before slowly looking up.

"…Luffy?" Luffy grinned.

"you know who I am?" Usopp grinned and leaped up.

"Luffy!" he grabbed him in a crushing hug. "I remember! I remember who I am! I can remember again!" Luffy whooped with glee and twirled Usopp around.

"we got Usopp back! We got Usopp back! We got Usopp back!" Sanji looked over at the commotion and heard what his captain was screaming. He burst into a shit-eating grin.

"looks like our sharpshooter remembers who he is again." Zoro thumbed his katana.

"'bout time, too…" Genzo coughed loudly, interrupting their revelry.

"I see my crutch remembers who he is. I'm happy for you." Luffy blinked and snapped his fingers.

"oh, yeah! That's right! Genzo! I have a message for you!" Genzo blinked.

"a message? From who?" Luffy looked around, humming.

"ummm… someone who can't deliver it themselves. Do you want to hear it?" Genzo nodded. Luffy took in a deep breath, before speaking.

"bellemere says that she is thankful for what you've done for her daughters while she was gone. She says that the girls think of you as their father, and that she regrets not making that the truth while she was still alive." Genzo had gone stiff as a board and pale as a sheet. His body began shaking.

"if this is a cruel prank of yours I am going to-"

"it's not a prank! I got a message, and I was supposed to give it to Gen-san! I swear it's the truth!" Luffy waved his arms about.

"then how do you know that! bellemere's been dead for eight years!"

"because I can talk to dead people!" Luffy shouted. Genzo went silent. Fortunately for Luffy's dignity, however, the noise on the pier prevented his words from reaching anybody else. "I believe in this god, his name is Kronos, and he allows me to communicate with spirits! It costs him quite a bit of energy, since he's been asleep for a long time, but he used his power on bellemere's spirit, that was inside Nami's house, and made me able to talk to her!"

"you… you're telling the truth…? Bellemere said that…? about the… father?" Genzo toppled backwards. A support of water shot up through the planks and caught him. "bellemere would have… made me their father…?" Usopp looked at Luffy.

"can your god really do that?" Luffy nodded.

"yeah. He's not made up like the ones the world government sanctions. Those gods don't exist. He's one of the old gods, before the world government." Genzo shook his head and forced himself back onto his feet, amid much effort. "hey, Gen-san, don't strain yourself!"

"thank you." Luffy stopped his protests. "thank you for telling me that. thank you… your god, you said he was weak, from being asleep?" Luffy shrugged.

"yeah, and, most of his followers were killed by the world government, so, he was pretty much in a coma for a while. Without followers, he's pretty much almost powerless right now."

"then I'll fix that." Genzo thumped his palm with his fist, wincing at the pain. "if he needs followers, then I'll get followers. A god needs a church, right? He'll get a church, or I'll die trying." A sudden gust of wind blew, with three green leaves swirling around Genzo. The surprised sheriff could only yelp as he was lifted up into the air. The crowd screamed as they watched a man be carried off by an invisible hand. "WHAT THE!"

"Kronos! What are you doing!" Luffy shouted. The crutch in Genzo's hand dropped to the ground, and he stiffened. With a speed that shocked and awed the viewers, the half-healed wounds from the marines simply _disappeared._ Genzo started mouthing words without sound, as he was gently lowered to the ground. The three leaves swirled around Luffy or a moment, before drifting off to the sea. Luffy looked at Genzo, awe on his face.

"Kronos enlightened you." Genzo looked at his hands, incredulously.

"I know the words that the lord Kronos wishes to speak. I know the sermons of the lord. I know the prayers, I know the hymns, I know it all." The crowd rushed in to crowd Genzo, clamboring or information on what the hell just happened. Luffy and Usopp wormed their way out of the crowd and watched as Nami approached on the horizon. Luffy flicked his hand at the ship, and Zoro pulled up the anchor. Nami nodded, a grin on her face as she plunged into the crowd, ducking and weaving. When she reached where Luffy and Usopp were, she grinned.

"let's get out of here." Luffy grinned.

"before they notice that their wallets are missing." The three leaped off of the pier and onto the rail of the Going Merry. Nami lifted her shirt up to the top of her stomach, and wallets, purses and handbags of all assortments clinked onto the deck. One of the villagers was quick to notice.

"hey! my wallet's gone!" Genzo's hand went to his pocket.

"mine too!" "so's mine!" Nami, with slow movements, plucked out a thousand beli bill and kissed it. She smiled impishly.

"goodbye, everyone!"

"Y-YOU LITTLE BRAT!" the entire pier screamed. Luffy laughed with uncontrolled glee.

"ah, that never gets old!"

"Nami-san, GOOD!"

"she hasn't changed a bit."

"who knows when she'll turn on us again." Kuro shoved up his glasses.

"leaving them a hundred million beli bounty, then stealing their wallets. I like your style, Nami." Gin chuckled.

"I just think that's funny, I don't care who you are."

Genzo chuckled helplessly at Nami's antics. Nako handed him a piece of paper. "here, Genzo."

"hmm? What's this? A piece of paper?"

"that silly girl. She hasn't changed a bit. She even got another tattoo." Genzo unfolded the paper, exposing the picture.

"what's this symbol supposed to be?" nako smiled.

"she said it was a pinwheel, an orange, and a straw hat." Indeed, it was an enlarged pinwheel with a straw hat hanging on the left prong, and an orange growing from the top. Genzo chuckled.

"past, present and future, eh? An ambitious little girl… if he makes her cry, I'll hunt him down and kill him myself." Nako chuckled.

"you probably would. But then, that's no way for a new priest to talk, is it?" Genzo stood.

"I need a church in order to be a priest. Why don't we fix that?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy peered at the cape of the island, apparently looking for something. Usopp walked over to his side and leaned on the rail. "looking for something, Luffy?"

"yeah. Our newest recruit." He snapped his fingers and pointed at a ripple in the water. "there!" Usopp peered over the side, and his eyes bugged out.

"wha-wha-wha-what is that!" Luffy grinned a forced grin.

"that would be the entirety of the Arlong pirates swimming in formation. Since they don't have a ship, but they swim really well, they're going to swim until we get to Loguetown. They'll buy a ship there to ride on."

"all the way to Loguetown! Isn't that a little… harsh?" Luffy shrugged.

"eh. I like to think of it as their way of penance for the eight years at cocoyashi. If they drop dead from exhaustion, then that's their problem." he turned around and walked into him room.

Luffy smiled as he lay down on the bed in the captain's quarters. "thank god Usopp remembered. I don't think I could have survived without him being on the ship." A knock on the door drew him from his musings. He looked at the door and sat up. "enter!" Zoro pushed open the door and sat down on one of the chairs. "Zoro! What is it?"

"that man who saved Arlong was Gold Roger, wasn't he?" he said, cutting straight to the point. The blood in Luffy's face could not have drained faster if you had slit it with a knife. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but you know the pirate king and he knows you." Luffy gulped audibly.

"I-I-I-I don't know what you're talking about. Gold Roger is d-dead." Zoro glared at him.

"cut the bullshit, Luffy. you've been hiding a secret from the entire crew since day one, and I want to know if it endangers us at all." Luffy stared with fearful eyes at Zoro. He gulped again.

"have you told anybody else?"

"no. I wanted to know first." Luffy breathed out a sigh of relief.

"thank god… a true swordsman knows how to keep a secret, right?" Luffy grinned a bit forcedly. Zoro nodded. "well… what do you want to now?"

"is that man Gold Roger?"

"yes. He is Gold Roger. How'd you figure it out?" he pulled out a small notebook from his back pocket.

"I've written down everything you've said that hasn't made sense, or related to the mysterious 'roger' or the secret you've been hiding from us. The final clue was when Arlong said that Jimbei had seen him be killed. The only reason a Shishibukai would have been at an execution would be that he was an extremely high-profile criminal. You continually called him roger, so I put two and two together." Luffy breathed out before chuckling.

"You're a bit of an amateur sleuth, aren't you?" Zoro didn't laugh.

"how?" Luffy sighed.

"a god saved him."

"the old god you told Nami about in Buggy's town?" Luffy looked up.

"you heard that?" Zoro nodded.

"yeah. I assume you weren't making that up." Luffy shook his head.

"no. the god is Kronos, ancient god of time. He poured all of his energies into an hourglass, essentially making the owner of the hourglass able to travel through time as well as he does. He also created the Mizu Mizu fruit." Luffy melted his arm. "he created two of them. One Gold Roger ate while he was a child along with the hourglass. The other… was given to me. along with the hourglass." He pulled the golden chain off of his neck and handed it to Zoro. The swordsman examined it.

"This little thing can travel through time?" he mused to himself. Luffy nodded he took the hourglass from him, placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder, twisted the hourglass, and the two disappeared from time.

Zoro landed in a stumbling kneel. Luffy, completely erect, clapped his hands. "not bad, not bad, not bad for your first time. First time I went through with that, I landed flat on my ass." Zoro looked around at the cave, the humongous pile of treasure in front of him immediately catching his eye. He pointed at it.

"is that… what I think it is?" Luffy nodded. "that's… One Piece?" he nodded again, grinning.

"yep! I already found it! Years ago!" Zoro palmed his face.

"why the hell are you searching for it again, when you've already found it?" Luffy's face immediately went south. Zoro grabbed his shoulder and shook him lightly. "oi. What's the matter?"

"I'm searching for it again, so that I can do things better." Zoro quirked an eyebrow, but remained silent. "we were all a crew before, and we were the best of the best, and the closest of nakama. We even were able to each Raftel, the final island in the Grand Line, where One Piece was. But… the marines had been tailing us for a while now… as soon as we set foot on land, they ambushed us and burned our ship. They chased us into the cave, where you were all eventually killed. I… I was the only survivor. Our shipwright, franky, collapsed the cave on the marines' heads, killing them all at the cost of all your lives. I got to the final chamber, where… I saw that there was no treasure." Zoro looked up at the pile of gold.

"well, then, what's this? Aren't we at Raftel right now?" Luffy grinned forcedly.

"nope! And I'm getting to that, so shut up!" Zoro did. "I broke down sobbing. Gold Roger appeared there and said that I was his successor now, and that I was the king of the pirates. He brought me back eight hundred years in time-"

"eight hundred years!" Zoro looked around wildly. "you mean we're on an island eight hundred years ago?"

"yeah. This is Raftel eight hundred years ago. It was a small portion of the lost continent Atlantis. Atlantis was a mystery country of the blank century, the entire century where there is absolutely no recorded history. Kronos greeted me through Gold Roger's body and told me to do him a favor. when I went back in time, I was to try and get him as many followers as possible so he can get his strength back."

"why? Doesn't he have enough here?" Zoro looked around. Luffy shook his head.

"they're all going to be killed, along with the entire continent, by the rebels who eventually founded the world government." Zoro stared at him.

"so that's why you hate the world government so much…"

"yeah. Kronos gave me the Mizu Mizu fruit and the Kronos hourglass as gifts if I would get him followers. I've been working on it, but the going's been slow. Roger took me away for a few years to train me, and I reappeared in our timeline when I was about eight." Zoro nodded.

"that's completely impossible, and yet… it's the only way to explain anything completely." Zoro nodded. "I believe you." Luffy nodded.

"and…?"

"I won't tell the others." Luffy breathed out a sigh of relief. "messing with time is generally a huge deal, and the less people that know about it, the better." Zoro seemed to remember something as he spoke again. "can you tell me why you allowed Arlong on the crew?" Luffy grimaced.

"Gold Roger threatened to take away the hourglass from me."

"so? That just means you can't travel anymore. You're still where you want to be." Luffy shook his head.

"no, it's way more important right now. Right now, that hourglass is the only thing that's keeping me in existence." Zoro's eyes narrowed.

"you mean, if you get that taken away, you die?" Luffy shook his head.

"no, I cease to exist. I…" Luffy trailed off, before shaking his head. "no, that's too complicated. Look, do you know how when you get on a passenger ship, and you're out to sea, and if you don't have your ticket to ride, you get thrown in the brig?" Zoro, not really understanding but wanting the explanation, nodded. "it's sort of like that. when I went into the past and started changing things, that was me getting on the passenger ship and it setting sail. I can't just decide, 'oh, I don't likethis, I'll go back to the first future and retry.' That future doesn't exist anymore."

"but then, how do you remember the first future if it doesn't exist?" Luffy opened his mouth to answer, before wisely snapping it shut.

"look, it's… really, REALLY complicated, and I don't understand even half of it. But the gist of it is, until I get to the exact point in time that I initially traveled back in time, I need to have this hourglass on at all times. It sort of creates a safety bubble around me, and protects me from time snapping back to the way it was supposed to be and me being launched into limbo." Zoro sucked in a breath as he realized something.

"so, when Gold Roger said he would take the hourglass from you, that was him saying something tantamount to him killing you." Luffy nodded.

"exactly. Only a much more painful, and excruciating death than you will ever know anybody to have. And it doesn't ever end." Zoro whistled.

"damn. that's harsh." He stopped, then apparently thought of something he was hesitant to say. "hey, Luffy… umm… do you know what… with Mihawk…" Luffy nodded, glad to change the subject.

"you made it, Zoro. You beat Mihawk at Raftel." Zoro beamed hugely, bigger than he ever had before. "you bled to death on the floor a minute later." The grin disappeared as fast as it came. He swore.

"dammit! He was still better than me!"

"but you beat him in a straight fight!" Luffy protested.

"yeah, but he still killed me! the only way I'll be the greatest is if I live to tell the tale!" Zoro argued. Luffy nodded.

"oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I guess… you'll just have to train harder." Zoro nodded. Luffy looked over his shoulder. "roger? You there?"

"I'm always here." the man of legend formed up out of water. He bowed to Zoro. "I am honored to meet on of my pupil's nakama."

"The pleasure is all mine, king of the pirates." Zoro bowed back. The two stayed like that for a moment or two before bursting out into laughter simultaneously. "bwahahahahaha!"

"ghahahahahaha!" Gold Roger slapped Zoro on the back. "welcome to our little club, Zoro. Let's hope you're the last to join!" he looked at Luffy. "hey, we should go clubbing to celebrate this!" Luffy laughed.

"trust you to be the one to celebrate!" Gold Roger grinned.

"of course! I love parties! Let's go! Into Atlantis!" Zoro grinned.

"will there be booze?"

"of course there'll be booze! Drinks are on me!" Zoro grinned.

"I knew I liked you, roger!" the king of the pirates only laughed harder.

"ghahahahahahahahaha!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kronos stiffened in his seat, writhing in pain as power he had not felt in centuries flowed through his veins once more. Once the fit of spasms died down, he grinned. **"that felt like an entire village! That display was a gamble of my power, but it worked! I feel more alive than I have in centuries!" **he got up from his throne and lumbered through the field of bodies, looking at each fallen. **"Athena… Apollo… hera… artemis… Gaia… oranos… my brethren, all fallen to the ravages of time…" **he stopped in front of a single body.

The body was of a leanly built man, easily seven feet tall, with beach-like clothes on, and a trident at his side. With slow movements, Kronos placed his hands on thee fallen man's chest. **"arise… awaken… reanimate… bring back the spark of life in my son!"** he pushed, and felt all the new power he had gained rush out of his body, and into the fallen man. The body stiffened, before writhing uncontrollably. The spasms lasted for a minute or so, before it died down. With a snap, the man's eyes shot open.

"**what…? Where am I?" **he forced himself up with a creak of bones and joints not used for millennia. He stopped when he spotted the panting god beside him. **"father! What are you doing here! I thought you were in tartarus!"**

"**I was… until… all of the powers… locking me there… failed…" **he panted. The reanimated god's eyes widened.

"**failed! But that's impossible! All of the gods provde power to keep the titans locked up! are you saying…" **he quickly realized his surroundings. His face paled. **"oh my sea… all of them?"**

"**every single one. I am the only one who escaped. All of the others have become dead gods. You were too, until I gave you some of my power." **The god's eyes narrowed.

"**how long have I been asleep?"**

"… **nearly a millennia. My followers were one of the last to fall, and that was eight hundred years ago." **The god's eyes widened.

"**a millennia! But…! With you having no followers, you should be comatose too!" **Kronos gave him a critical eye. The god sucked in a sharp breath. **"your hourglass…"**

"**I created a failsafe, should Atlantis have fallen. With one surviving follower, I would live on, conscious." **Kronos stood on trembly feet and held out a hand for the god. **"today, the revival of the gods begins. Now rise, my son… Poseidon."**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And, this got WAAAAY longer than I planned! But, we like that, right? There was fluff, there was crack humor, there was a backstory for Kronos (hey, he's a god, he's gotta have a backstory if he's going to be involved) and there was family. All in all, a good chapter in my book.

AWWWWWWW HELLS YES! SPRING BREAK! This chapter is coming out right before I leave to florida on my spring break, so I am not going to be working on this at all while I max and relax by the pool. I should be back in like, two weeks, so, plan for that.

I did a word count on this, and it has twelve thousand one hundred and eighteen words! That means that IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND! Lol but seriously, don't ever expect a chapter of this kind of length from me again.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my almost-girlfriend, chelsey! Why'd you have to leave school for a different district on the day I was sick! You didn't give me a chance to do this! 'kisses soundly' MWAH! How do you like THEM apples!

Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	18. Loguetown

Hiya! I'm back! And boy, was that an awesome vacation! I LOVE IT! Anyways, this is the beginning of the Loguetown arc! Oh, and by the way, somebody brought this up in the reviews. I call it Loguetown, because that's what I originally knew it as. Loguetown. The town of the beginning and the end. ProLOGUE and epiLOGUE. Yeah. Just wanted to get that out in the open.

Oh, and sorry for the wait. Finding a voice for post-defeat Arlong was… difficult for me.

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Disclaimer: wow! You must be really stupid if you still think that I own One Piece!

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"**Why me?" **Poseidon asked as he settled into a lawn chair he had conjured out of chaos. **"Why bring me back first? Why not one of the others? Zeus would be a better choice. He is the king of the gods…" **he then winced. **"Oh. Yeah. That's right. I forgot. Sorry."**

"**It was a long time ago that he sliced me into mincemeat and threw me into Tartarus." **Kronos waved away his concerns. **"I have not forgiven, but I will forget. And I could not find his body. Wherever he is, it is where I know not of."**

"**And… mother?" **Poseidon looked over at the prone body of Gaia. Kronos looked down, his mottled black face skin growing long.

"**When she felt the attack on her people, she knew what would happen to the earth if she became comatose. It would implode on itself if there was nobody to watch over. She melded herself into the earth with the last of her fleeing strength. She is in a place where I cannot free her. Only she can free herself now." **Kronos walked over to the prone body of the god of the earth, and the mother of the gods. He stroked her hair, mournful. **"I only gathered her body here, to be able to remember her."**

"**I miss her, father." **Poseidon looked at his mother, at Kronos' side.

"**So do I, son. So do I." **Kronos looked away and scrubbed at his face with his clawed hands. Poseidon, feeling embarrassed, quickly changed the subject.

"**Well, what about Hades? Surely you found his body!" **

"**Yes, I found him. But, I decided that you would be the first of the big three that I would bring back. You were the only one that tried to help me in my fiery prison. Hades, he was indifferent, and I can understand that. Being lord of the dead forces you to harden your heart to the plights of others. You, however, actively tried to help me. When Zeus tried to strip you of your powers because of that, I decided that you, of the three of my most powerful children, were my favorite." **Poseidon shuffled around, embarrassed. **"Besides, with Hades indisposed, I, the only remaining god, had to take up his mantle until he gets back."**

"**So any soul that is dedicated to the gods goes to you! That would give you power!" **Poseidon exclaimed. Kronos nodded.

"**Yeah. It's not as potent as a living follower, but it still allows me to remain conscious. It helps. Though once I get enough followers again, I'll give up the reins." **

"**You never really answered my first question. Why me?" **Kronos looked away, before speaking.

"**There is a boy, who I gave the power of the sea." **Poseidon's eyes shot wide open.

"**You didn't!"**

"**I did. He is the sole reason you are conscious now. He has been gaining followers for me. He, and the man who gave my gifts to him, have been hailed as the kings of the sea." **Poseidon blinked.

"**Oh. Luffy? That's okay. I was worried you had recreated the Mizu Mizu fruit. If it's Luffy, then that's okay." **Kronos tilted his head, confused.

"**You know of Luffy?"**

"**Yeah! Him and Gold Roger? They went back to the golden age of the sea! I was still conscious then!" **Kronos breathed a sigh of relief.

"**Thank time. I thought you would be angry. He was another reason I awoke you first. It would be a good idea for a man hailed as Poseidon incarnate to have said deity as a guardian." **Poseidon grinned.

"**Well, then I'm going to have to meet him! Gold Roger is possessable, right?"**

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"You raised the price again? Don't you think it's getting too expensive?" Nami stared the mailbird straight into the eye, while it snapped a smart salute.

"Coo."

"If you raise the price again next time, I won't buy it again, hear!" she plunked a single gold coin into the box around its neck as it flew away.

"It's just a newspaper." Usopp muttered as he carefully poured bright red liquid into a beaker.

"It is more than just a newspaper, Usopp. Knowledge is power." Kuro said as he swirled a cool green glass around, sipping from it occasionally. "With a newspaper, you can know how expensive the next shipment of timbers is, or if your next planned port was taken over by pirates, or if there is a new marine captain that needs to be watched out for. Many things can be learned from the newspaper." Gin snorted.

"Ah, you just like it for the personals section. Don't try to deny it." Kuro gave him a sharp look that said, 'stop spouting nonsense that is in no way true.' The effect was ruined when his glasses flew off and landed in Usopp's chili marble. "Ha! Got under your skin!"

"Shut up." Kuro took a sip from his glass.

"Ignoring them… it doesn't matter if it raises the price! You don't have to save money anymore!" Usopp flicked off Kuro's glasses and threw them back to him.

"Don't be stupid! From now on, I'm collecting money for myself! That's why I'm staying with you poor pirates!" Zoro snorted, lying right next to Kuro.

"We're richer than you think, Nami." He said cryptically.

"Quiet, all of you!" I'm in the process of making a new chili pepper marble! If this stuff gets in somebody's eyes… he will suffer in agony!"

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Sanji screamed as he kicked at Luffy's stomach.

"Oh, come on! It's only one orange!" Luffy protested as the kick passed straight through him. Usopp poured the chili pepper into the pellet, and he held it up triumphantly.

"Success!"

"I won't give you a thing! These are Nami-san's orange trees! I will protect them with my life!"

"Sanji, it's okay if he has just one." Nami said without looking up from her newspaper. Luffy's head whipped around, grinning.

"Thanks!" his hand shot out and snatched an orange from the trees. It snapped back and he took a massive bite out of it. He swirled around the bite a bit, before spitting out the skin. "Ptew! Forgot about the skin!"

"That'll be five hundred beli." Nami said casually. Luffy face-vaulted.

"You really know how to manipulate people, don't you?" Zoro yawned. Luffy squawked in indignation, before falling silent and shelling out the money. Nami kissed the bill, a grin on her face.

"Thank you!"

"Stingy Nami…" Usopp looked over the rail at the v-formation behind them.

"Wow. We've bee traveling for days, and they haven't slowed up a bit!" Luffy shrugged.

"That's the power of a merman. The only one more at home in the sea than them is me!"

"Full of yourself, anyone?" Gin quipped. Nami sighed.

"Man, is the world in chaos right now. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and there's a new war in the country of St. Ruiz." She turned the page, and three sheets of paper fluttered to the ground. Luffy's face split into a grin as he recognized one of the sheets.

"Aah…" Nami said in surprise.

"Huh?" Usopp looked over.

"YES!" Luffy whooped.

'Snore.' Guess who.

"Well, it had to happen eventually." Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"nice." Gin grinned.

"Oh?" Sanji leaped down from the orange groves.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

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"This is proving that all of our troops are MEANINGLESS! And it is the truth!" lieutenant Brandnew shouted to the assembly of marines. "Buggy the pirate clown: fifteen million! Pirate commander Don Krieg: seventeen million! Saw-tooth Arlong: twenty million!

"The average bounty in the east blue is three million! The big fish are worth more than ten million! Yet, the three biggest bounties have been defeated! In addition! The crews of Krieg and Arlong have been added, creating a miniature fleet of pirates!" he slapped a wanted poster against the wall, with Luffy's grinning visage.

"Maybe it's strange, to give this newbie a wanted price, of fifty million, the biggest in east blue history! But it's not too high in my book! We have to get rid of these parasites before they spread!" he slapped another poster against the wall.

"And Kuro of a thousand plans! He has tricked us into believing he was dead for the past three years, and has made a fool out of the marines! I think the bounty of twenty five million is not too high either!" he slapped one more poster against the wall.

"And saw tooth Arlong! He has paid off a marine captain, to cover his foul schemes! He enslaved an entire island, not for a little time, but for eight years! And we did not know a thing! The new bounty of thirty seven million is more than earned!

"Yet, they all follow straw hat Luffy! They follow his beck and call! He is the ringleader! Therefore, he has gained the highest bounty!"

"This is the most peaceful marine base in the pirate era! And straw hat Luffy has made a fool out of us! None in the marines can show their weakness!

"It's not these innocent people's fault! We have to keep the peace! If there is a bad seed in the sea, we, the marines, are duty bound to do everything to exterminate it! Under the vow of righteousness and justice!"

"YES SIR!"

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"Fifty million! That's incredible!" Luffy cheered as he danced around, the wanted poster in his hand. "I've never seen the marines give a starting bounty this high! I must really have them spooked!"

"Don't you get it! That just means there are more people looking to kill you! With combined bounties of a hundred million, the marine base will HAVE to do something! And that's not even counting the bounty hunters!"

"Well, I'll be damned!" Gin grinned. "Is that the back of my head right there?" he pointed to the corner of the poster, where Gin's head was immortalized. "HA! I'm on a wanted poster!"

"It's just the back of your head…" Sanji sulked by the rail, smoking a cigarette dejectedly. Gin whooped, more energetic than he was the entire trip.

"I'm not even the captain, and I'm on a wanted poster! YEAH!" he patted Sanji on his head. "Cheer up. If you get as awesome as I am, then maybe you'll be on a wanted poster too!"

"Really?" Sanji's head whipped up. "YEAH!" he leaped up and began to dance a merry jig with Gin.

"We can't waste our time in east blue anymore. We have to go to the Grand Line." Nami looked around nervously, as if expecting a marine ship to pop up anywhere.

"YEAH!" Luffy whooped, with Gin and Sanji's arms looped around each other. "WE'RE GOING TO THE GRAND LINE!"

"YEAH!" the two cheered.

"Is that an island right there?" Kuro polished his glasses, squinting. Luffy closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, that's an island. I can feel the water diverging around it."

"If there's an island there, then that means we're really close to the Grand Line." Nami rushed to the rail. Luffy landed softly on the rail.

"Loguetown… the city of the beginning and the end… the place where the pirate king was born… and died." Luffy whispered. Nami looked up at the captain over her shoulder.

"You seem really somber."

"This town is a legacy. It should be treated as such." He stared at the town silently. For a reason that she could not understand fully, the sight of Luffy so concentrated, so intent on something made the blood in her cheeks rise slightly. Luffy leaped off of the railing and onto the deck. With a wave of his hand, the water under the tip of the v-formation in the water exploded. Arlong landed on the deck with a loud thump. He shook himself off like a wet dog as he panted slightly.

"Whoo!" he puffed out his reddened cheeks, grinning. "Nothing like a couple miles of swimming, is there?" the merman walked over to the figurehead and peered at the island. "I suppose that's why you summoned me, my liege?"

"Yeah. Any of your men gone?" Arlong shook his head.

"Nope! We're all still here! The Arlong pirates are made of tougher stuff than that! Some of the new recruits are about to collapse on their feet, but they pulled through!" he stroked his chin, thinking. "Of course, if we're going to have to do this every day, then there are definitely going to be some casualties. My liege, if I may be so bold-"

"You want a ship." Luffy finished. Arlong jerked back in surprise, before nodding.

"Yeah. We want a ship." Luffy was silent. "It doesn't have to be the most expensive thing in port, as long as it's seaworthy."

"Find something you like, and then report to me. I'll get the money." Arlong nodded.

"Thank you, my liege!" he turned to the scowling navigator and bowed slightly. "Miss Nami." He backflipped over the side and rejoined the V in the water. Nami continued to scowl. Luffy noticed the change in her mood.

"I don't like him any more than you do, but as long as he keeps having good behavior, I can't get rid of him. My hands are tied on this, Nami." She huffed and stalked away. Luffy merely turned to Gin, who was the closest of the crew, and shrugged. "Women. What can you do?"

"Yeah. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." Gin chuckled as he stared at the approaching island. "Hey. Do you think they have weapon customization there? I've had a couple of new ideas for my tonfa that will really spice up my battles." Luffy shrugged.

"Who knows. They have a crapload of weapons artisans there, so it's definitely possible." Gin nodded.

"thanks." He then walked off to pester Sanji. Luffy swiveled back to the figurehead.

"How you holding up, merry?"

"_I am sailing excellently today, captain. Thank you for asking." _The ship replied. Luffy nodded.

"That's good." He sat down Indian-style on the ship's head, and proceeded to fall asleep.

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"Daaaaaamn! This place gets bigger every time I see it!" Gin whistled. "I swear, half of that wasn't there the last time we passed through this joint!" Luffy nodded appreciatively.

"Lots if pirates stock up at this town before they head out to sea. You can get pretty much anything you want here!" Nami grinned as she stared at the nearest clothing shop. Kuro lightly pushed up his glasses.

"I am going to need some new cat claws if I'm going to be any use at all later." Usopp grinned.

"Yosh! I'll buy some new equipment for my new adventure!"

"In this place, there's bound to be some good food to check out. And lots of good women!" Sanji grinned perversely. Gin rubbed his temples.

"God, you weren't nearly this much of a perv when we met… I'm gonna go and find a weapons customization shop."

"There's something I wanna buy too." Zoro thumbed his chin, thinking. Nami sidled close to him, an impish grin on her face.

"And how do you plan on doing that, HMMMM? You're totally broke, aren't you? I'll loan you money… for three hundred percent interest!" Luffy stroked his chin, before uncorking the water flask he had at his side and created a water clone. He handed his katana to the clone.

"You know what to do, with that, right?" the clone snapped a smart salute.

"Yes, sir!" he nodded, before grinning and rushing off.

"I'M GOING TO THE EXECUTION PLATFORM!" he shouted back to the group. The Straw Hat pirates raised their voices to protest, only to realize that he had left a clone behind. Luffy-clone shook the katana in its sheath, creating a loud rattling noise.

"I'm going with Zoro. I don't think this sheath was meant for this katana. It rattles around too much. I want to find a sheath that fits better." Zoro took the katana from him and gave it a good shake. He nodded.

"Yeah, that does sound loose in there." he turned to Nami. "You are a cruel, cruel bitch. I'll take a hundred thousand." Nami grinned as she whipped out a wallet and pulled out some high-denoted bills. Zoro snatched them from her greedy fingers and stalked away, Luffy-clone following after him.

"Oi, oi, oi! We haven't decided on a place to meet yet!" Usopp shouted after them. Luffy-clone waved his hand at them nonchalantly.

"When you're done with everything, find the chaos. It follows me like a bad stink." And the two disappeared into the crowd, in the search of swords.

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Arlong walked along the streets with his webbed hands shoved in his pockets, attracting more stares than a traveling circus. 'Then again,' he thought. 'It IS pretty odd to see a merman in town. They WOULD stare.' He just walked that much faster towards the quickly looming shipyard. As soon as he stepped into the threshold of the docks, a tall, gangly man with beady eyes stepped in front of him.

"Hello! You here to buy a ship today?" he said with what the merman believed to be a hint of a north blue accent. Arlong nodded.

"Yeah. You ain't going to triple the price on me because of-" the dockmaster shook his head vehemently.

"Oh, of course not, of course not! I got nothing against fish-men! Some of them are good pals of mine!" Arlong twitched slightly when he said 'fish-men' but he held his temper in check. 'After all, I don't really want to end up spitted on the end of the captain's blade.' The dockmaster clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, how much money are we talking? Do you want cheap, average, or top-o'-the-line?" Arlong tapped his hand against his elongated nose.

"Top-of-the-line, I think. Money is no object." The man grinned.

"In that case, let me show you the best ship I have in dock right now. It actually was just built a couple of weeks ago, so it's brand-spanking new!" he led him down the pier, across two distinctly different qualities of ships. 'Cheap and average,' Arlong thought to himself. The dockmaster stopped right after the third wall Arlong had seen, presumably marking the distinction into 'top-of-the-line'. He gestured to the first ship in the line-up. "Well? Whadaya think?" Arlong-s fishy eyebrows rose as he whistled appreciatively.

"NIIIIIICE, very nice. VERY nice. It's certainly got size on its side." The dockmaster grinned.

"Doesn't it, though? It's I ship-of-the-line, so it's got more room in there than you can shake a stick at." Arlong's eyebrows arched again.

"A ship-of-the-line? Aren't those marine battleships?" the dockmaster nodded.

"Yeah, though the marine versions are made at least five times the regular size. You know, to scare the crap out of pirates." The man ran a hand over the smooth timbers, grinning. "I just had this sent to me by my brother in the Grand Line. This baby is the best ship I've had in a long time. It even…" he looked around nervously before waving Arlong closer. He put his mouth close to Arlong's ear. "It even has some Adam wood lining the hull." He backed off, a pleased smirk on his face. Arlong slow-clapped.

"Nice. That stuff is first-class stuff."

"Yeah! You really know how to pick a ship, guy! Although, since the buying and selling of that is forbidden by the marines …" he waggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. Arlong looked around, a confused look on his face.

"Adam wood? Where? I don't see any Adam wood! What's Adam wood?" the dockmaster grinned.

"I like your style, guy!" he walked onto the deck and to the steering wheel. "Now, there's another little feature that I'm especially proud of. Walk over to the front of the boat, will you?" Arlong did as he asked. On the bowsprit was a wooden mermaid, with a shell bra covering her unmentionables. "See the figurehead?"

"yeah." Arlong shouted to him. The dockmaster grinned.

"Keep watching!" he flicked open a switched on the center of the wheel and pressed it. The shells flipped open, and with a pneumatic hiss, a pair of harpoons slid out where the aureoles would be. Arlong grinned.

"Now, that's what I call a set of tits." The dockmaster pushed yet another button.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, pal!" the pair of harpoons tensed and drew back, as if an invisible hand was drawing out the slack. The dockmaster grinned. "This is my favorite part. Harpoon cannon, FIRE!" the harpoon cannon, as it was so aptly dubbed, shot out and into the bay. The water exploded where it hit, showering the dock with sea water. The man pushed a third switch, and the cannon slowly reeled itself in. "it was a concept that was around since early whaling, to reel in extremely large catches. The concept works well in combat, too. You get these babies sunk into an enemy ship, and they're gong nowhere fast. Reel them in, and you can take them down in close combat. Because it reels in, it's reloadable, as well, so you don't have to spend a bunch of money on ammunition!" the dockmaster walked down the gangplank and rubbed his hands together. "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Arlong echoed. "I think I'm in love." The dockmaster clapped his hands in glee.

"Excellent! You couldn't have bought a finer ship! Now, there's only the small matter of the fee…" the man started ticking his fingers, adding up unknown costs. "I'd say this baby runs you about… six hundred million beli." Arlong grinned a toothy grin. This was where things got fun: the art of the haggle.

"Are you kidding me, human? Eight hundred, for this piece of shit? I'll give you two hundred, and only because I like the harpoon cannon." The dockmaster looked affronted.

"Two hundred? What, do you expect me to starve? A man's got to make a living! Six hundred!" Arlong rapped the central mast.

"See this mast? Shoddy craftsmanship! One blast from a cannon and the entire ship is sunk! Three hundred!" the dockmaster rapped the hull.

"See this? This is made with Adam wood! Be lucky I'm giving you this much of a discount! Four hundred! And that's my final offer!" Arlong grinned and held out his hand. The dockmaster took it, and the two shook.

"Four hundred million it is."

"Excellent! Now, there's one more thing we need before you can sail off. What are you going to name it?" Arlong paused, and stroked his chin, humming the entire time.

"Hmmmm… that's a good question. What AM I going to name it?" he looked at the figurehead, and he thought of Luffy, his captain. He grinned. "The queen of the sea." The dockmaster nodded, an impressed smirk on his face.

"Nice, very nice! Classy! I'll have my boys start etching that on the boat! They work fast, so it'll probably be ready in a few hours. Come back then, and we'll be good to go!" Arlong nodded and walked off the shipyard. "Pleasure doing business with you!" the dockmaster shouted. Arlong merely gave a lazy wave.

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"You wouldn't happen to know where the execution platform is, would you, roger?" Luffy scratched his head as he passed a store he could have sworn he saw five minutes ago. Roger shrugged.

"Search me. I went back in time before I died, remember? I haven't 'died' yet, per say, so I wouldn't know WHERE I died." Luffy frowned.

"Shit. Why am I lost now, but I found it so easily before?" he blinked and scowled at the rows of ships that came into his vision. "The harbor? How the hell did I get back here?" the straw hat captain looked over his side and nearly screamed. There, standing in front of a group of bloody and tied-up pirates, was Smoker. Luffy calmed his racing heart. 'It's okay; he doesn't know you're a pirate yet.' He thought, trying to calm his treacherous mind. "HEY!" he shouted to the marine.

"Is he another one of those idiots?" Luffy heard him say to a marine at his side.

"I don't think so…" the marine answered. Luffy plastered a cheesy grin on his face as he approached them. 'Don't give them any suspicions…'

"I'm in luck! A marine! Can you tell me how to get to the execution platform?" Luffy could see that Smoker looked faintly surprised at his question.

"The execution platform?" he echoed. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah! I'm lost. This place is HUGE! It's so different from a small-town place like fuusha village…" Luffy could have whooped for joy. 'He doesn't suspect a thing!'

"I've never seen your face around here before…"

"Yeah! I just came here today! I'm part of a… a merchant fleet, heading to the Grand Line! We're trying to set ourselves up to be the top dogs in trading!" Luffy lied through his teeth. 'What he doesn't know wouldn't hurt him…'

"Why is a merchant looking for the gallows?" asked Smoker, his two fat cigars trembling while he spoke.

"I want to see it. The place where the pirate king died!" Luffy looked him straight into the eye, almost daring him to say he wasn't. Nothing was said between the two. Luffy shrugged. "You don't know? Oh, well. Guess I'll be on my way…"

"wait." Said Smoker, not moving a muscle. "Look where the smoke points." Luffy grinned. A direction!

"That way? Thanks!" he shouted, running straight past him. Smoker turned and stared at his retreating back.

'Merchant? I don't believe that for a bit. That man… is one to watch out for.'

Gold Roger grinned. "A merchant? Is that the best you could come up with?" Luffy shrugged while running.

"hey, I'd like to see you come up with something better when you're right in front of a marine captain that's almost caught you more than a dozen times!" Gold Roger laughed.

"I've come up with WAY better lies in front of Garp than that!"

"Yeah, well, that's because grandpa's gullible like that!" Gold Roger jerked back.

"He's your GRANDPA!" he shouted in the empty alley. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah! And dragon's my dad!" Gold Roger flinched once again.

"DRAGON! What the hell is with you! You've got the blood of the guy that captured me and a man as infamous as I am!" Luffy grinned.

"Yeah, and my brother is a commander in whitebeard's armada!" Gold Roger drew back, before breaking out into raucous laughter.

"GHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What the hell is up with your family! They're ALL legends! GHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy couldn't help it. He started to laugh right along with him.

"Shishishishishishi! Which is probably why people get spooked when I say I'm gonna be the pirate king! Shishishishishishishishishi!" the two laughed for a good while, before Luffy's chuckling petered off. He blinked and looked around. "Huh? Where are we?" Gold Roger formed in the air and scratched his head.

"That's odd. I don't remember there being any slums in this town…" the two turned a corner, and Roger's eyes widened. "Huh…?" Luffy looked where he was staring and blinked.

"'Gold Roger'? Why do you have a bar named after you?"

"I dunno… it wasn't here the last time I was in town…" he dissolved into water, which evaporated into the air. "Just in case there's somebody getting shit-faced…" Luffy nodded and pushed aside the skull-marked tarps. He walked down the pair of decrepit stone steps, noting that the walls were covered with gashes and bounty posters. He pushed open the swinging saloon doors and stepped into the unlit room, where a single old man with bulldog cheeks sat at a table, his only company a bottle of rum and a large skull. The man lowered his glasses and stared at the newcomer, wordlessly asking him why he was intruding on his bar. Luffy looked around, noting the upturned chairs and cobwebs on the ceiling.

"Old man, are you the owner of this place? The sign outside says 'Gold Roger'. Is that the name of this place?"

"Get out." The man barked. "This ain't a place for kids." He picked up the bottle and poured himself a drink. "And we're closed right now."

"Looks more like 'out of business' to me…" Luffy muttered. The old barkeep, for that is what Luffy assumed he was, thumped the bottle back onto the table.

"We're not out of business! It's just after hours! Now get out!"

"Luffy… I think I know this place… it was one of my favorite bars to go to when I was in town…" Gold Roger whispered so that only Luffy could hear. Luffy strolled over to one of the barstools and sat down, a tiny cloud of dust puffing up.

"Oh well… maybe you can help me. I'm trying to get to the execution platform, but I'm hopelessly lost." Luffy blinked and stared at the bleached skull on the table. "Holy crap! That's one big-ass skull you've got there!" the old man swirled his drink before speaking again.

"This is the skull of a man known as the 'killer giant'." Luffy could feel Gold Roger give a start in his insubstantial-ness. The barkeep clinked glasses with the 'skull's glass. "A man who killed hundreds of pirates. He was a devil." The man grinned. "But Gold Roger fought and killed him." Luffy could understand his mentor's shock. Here was a man who kept a trophy of one of his great fights.

"He did?" the man was suddenly much more animated as he threw his arms into the air.

"It's a famous tale! He was a big, rough man, with a huge sword! The battle was decided pretty quickly. This gash is what killed him." he pointed with the hand holding his glass at a massive rent in the center of the skull's forehead. "But he was really something! His last words were, 'roger. No one can touch you. I praise you as the eternal pirate!'" Luffy was twitching in his seat. He knew Gold Roger was freakishly strong, but to actually hear about one of his battles was something entirely different!

"Awesome!" the man took a small drink from his glass.

"King, of the Eric pirates; the famous gunner, Silver-Silver; the devilish Kung Fu Brothers…"

"I remember those two! Tricky little bastards, and quick too!" Gold Roger whispered.

"All were very dangerous men. Yet before roger, they were like scared little babies!" Luffy couldn't restrain the shiver of excitement running up his spine the more the old man talked. The barkeep grinned. "Wanna hear more?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Luffy said. The elderly man nodded.

"Nowadays youngsters like you don't usually take an interest in this stuff."

"I don't care, just keep going!" Luffy nearly shouted.

"Pesky kid!" the old man admonished, although there was no real heat to his words. He looked down into his glass as he swirled the murky liquid around. "Gold Roger… back then… no, still today, he was the only pirate who truly didn't fear the dangers of the Grand Line. Because, you see, the area known as the Grand Line is a place where ships disappear and are never seen again. Navigation is next to impossible, and people rarely go near that cursed stretch of ocean, because they're so scared."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_The bar was full of drunken revelry as sailors off duty and drunks repelled by the Grand Line drowned their sorrows in booze. Gold Roger sat at the bar, a much younger and much bulkier barkeep tending to him._

"_Old man, give me some rum. The whole bottle." The barkeep turned his head and grabbed a bottle of Blue Element off of the shelves. He placed it on the wood with a muffled thump. _

"_You seem to be enjoying yourself, roger." The barkeep said, rubbing out a dirty mug. Roger chuckled as he took a long swig straight from the bottle, tendrils of booze dripping down his chin and throat. He exhaled the bad air as he shook the bottle around._

"_Yeah, that's for sure. Because after this, I'm taking off for a little stroll through the Grand Line." The barkeep's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "I'm so excited. I can't help myself."_

"_Why are you headed for that cursed ocean!"_

"_Why not? You saying I can't?" the barkeep flinched back._

"_Well, not really, but… I won't stop you, but please, don't go there! They say nobody's ever returned from that ocean!" Gold Roger chuckled._

"_That's exactly why I want to go!" he grinned. "So, so more rum please. Another bottle would be good."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Saying that, he cleared out all the booze in the bar, and set off the next morning as if there was nothing to fear. When I heard later that he had conquered the Grand Line, I was so surprised, I even forgot my age for a bit!" Gold Roger laughed softly.

"I remember that day. I was so hung over, I couldn't even walk!" he said softly. Luffy just continued to tremble in his seat. The old barkeep swirled his drink around, staring into its depths.

"But now, everybody has passed on. Roger was executed at the gallows here in town twenty years ago. And now, everybody is going around with thee audacity to call themselves pirates. They even call this 'the great age of pirates'. But it's a load of shit…" his glass thumped against the table as he set it down. "Cowards. Less and less people are daring to sail the Grand Line." He looked up at his audience with mournful eyes. "And because of that, this place is going to be closed down." Luffy twiddled his legs as he dangled from the swivel-seat.

"I'm… going to the Grand Line." The barkeep's eyes widened.

"Huh!"

"He was pretty cool, wasn't he? Gold Roger. Pirates should try and be more like him." Gold Roger snorted softly. "That's why I went to sea in the first place… to sail the Grand Line and find One Piece." He looked the aging barkeep straight in the eye, grinning. "I'm going to be the pirate king!" the barkeep's eyes shot wide open, mouth hanging open in shock. For a moment, the boy with the straw hat was gone. Instead, a fading, ghostly image of Gold Roger drifted over his visage, with a bottle of rum in his hand. Beads of sweat formed on his wrinkled brow.

"You're crazy, to say something like that! How could you say that, in a place like this?"

"But I'm telling the truth…" the old man laughed and forced his creaking bones out of the wooden chair.

"kid, after having a customer like you, it makes an old man feel like closing up shop a little bit later." Luffy's expression twisted.

"Oh, man, don't do that for me…"

"It's too late. I've already decided. There's nothing you can do to change my mind." He walked with slow, shuffling steps to behind the bar. "It's been so long since I've had a customer here. Drink's on the house." He clattered through a pile of kitchenware, searching for a clean glass. Luffy searched through the labels, before settling on a blue bottle.

"Gimme some rum. Whatever you've got." The barkeep chuckled and plucked a bottle of Blue Element from the shelves, pouring a single glass for himself as well. He placed the murky liquid in front of the boy, and he plucked it up.

"Cheers to him. To the eternal pirate king." Luffy grinned at the irony of his words.

"To the eternal pirate king." The two clinked glasses, and Luffy drained his in one gulp. "Whoo! That's some strong stuff!" the old man chuckled.

"That's what roger said when he had that. He was fond of rum, too." Luffy held out his glass for a refill. The barkeep merely handed him the entire bottle. "Take it." Luffy smiled and picked up the bottle. He pushed open the doors, but stopped halfway.

"Old man… you should know that Gold Roger isn't as dead as you think." And with those parting words, he opened the tarp doors to the outside sun, leaving the aging barkeep to his thoughts.

Luffy quickly found the main streets as he murmured softly to roger. "I never knew you were that famous, roger. I mean, you were the pirate king and all, but… the fact hadn't really sunk in, you know?" Gold Roger chuckled.

"I'm just glad that he was still alive. He was a good friend of mine." Luffy grinned.

"But you know… the way he talked, you sounded a lot like me, before you showed up." Gold Roger shrugged.

"What can I say? 'Death' has really mellowed me out." Luffy was about to say more, but the execution platform filled his vision completely. He looked up, an unreadable look on his face.

"Roger…"

"I know." the pirate king answered.

"You doing okay? If you want to leave…"

"I'm fine." He grinned. "Although I have to say, it's an out-of-body experience for me. I'm looking at the spot where I died, and where I will die. The paradox boggles the mind." Luffy nodded.

"…you want to see the view?"

"Oh yeah!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And, done! It's all finished!

A cookie to the person who gets the reference with the harpoon cannon. If you know what I'm talking about, then the 'harpoon cannon, FIRE!' should be a dead giveaway.

Yes, I am using the anime filler a little bit in Loguetown. You know what? Deal with it! I feel like it gives the arc a little more flavor! Don't worry; I'm most definitely not going to use all of them. Just, sprinkle them in, here and there. That's pretty much my policy on anime filler for this story; light, and sparing.

Oh, and P.S. inublade, thanks for the review. That gave me SUCH a warm and fuzzy feeling in my gut. Either that or it's the jalapeños acting up again.

Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	19. Kitetsu

Hello, hello, welcome, all! Chapter nineteen, for you viewing pleasure! For those of you who are videogame-savvy, you would know that 'harpoon cannon, FIRE!' is from Skies of Arcadia. For everyone who chose that, here's a cookie. 'Hands out chocolate chip cookies'

For those of you wondering why the hell it took me so long to update… well… a lot of things happened. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my previous chapter or not, but my laptop finally died on me. Well… not exactly. It's just so bugged up that it's not worth the trouble trying to get it to work. I downloaded all of my works onto a flash drive, to try and keep working on it. THEN, when I went up to my cabin, I LOST the flash drive, with a complete copy of this chapter on it. After a few weeks where my parents refused to go up to the cabin again, (still no idea why) I realized that the laptop had the documents still on there. So, another flash drive, which I'm writing on right now. So, in other words, Murphy's Law came around to bite me in the ass multiple times. Sorry!

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Disclaimer: do I need to spell it out for you? I. DO. NOT. OWN. ONE. PIECE.

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Luffy panted as he pulled himself hand over hand up the scaffolding. "Kronos above, I don't remember this taking this much effort before!"

"Did you stretch your way up?" gold roger asked, insubstantial. Luffy frowned, before shaking his head.

"Nah, I don't think so. Would've drawn too much attention." The pirate king snorted.

"I don't think we have any problems there…" Luffy glanced over his shoulder at the assembled crowd of onlookers. He shrugged.

"Eh. What can they do?"

"Hey. Hey kid." Luffy flinched at the voice.

'Shit! He found us!' he plastered a cocky grin on as he stared at him. "You got a problem with us, cop? I'm kind of busy right now!"

"Is it really you? The most wanted man in the east blue." Luffy whistled.

"Oooh, nice title they've given me, I like it! Has a nice ring!"

"I'm the captain of the marine base here on Loguetown, Captain Smoker. I'm here to arrest you." Luffy made a face and gave him the finger.

"Screw you, cop! I refuse! I ain't getting thrown into the slammer until I'm the pirate king!" Smoker's eyes flashed.

"Pirate king?" Luffy smirked.

"That's right! So how could I get busted down by a marine now?"

"Then defeat me." The marine began cracking his knuckles, one by one. "If you cannot defeat me, then you have no chance of surviving in the grand line." Luffy scowled.

"No offense, cop, but I think the odds are _slightly _in your favor. Besides, I doubt that everyone in the grand line has a logia fruit, Smokey." Luffy cracked his neck. "How 'bout this? You and me, mano a mano, no devil fruit, just fist and skin." Smoker barked out a laugh.

"I won't even need my devil fruit for this." Luffy leaped off the metal struts, fist cocked back.

"Don't get cocky, cop!" he swung at his face, only to hit air. Smoker slid to a stop behind him.

"Too slow!" he punched at Luffy's face, but Luffy wasn't there anymore. The pirate captain axe-kicked Smoker too the ground, landing on the street.

"Too fast!" he countered. Smoker wiped at his chin, only to pull back in shocked as his fist came wit blood. "Been a while since you've taken a hit, eh, Smokey?" 'Thanks for the canceling, roger.'

'**No problem.'** Smoker growled.

"Bastard…" he burst into white air. Luffy yelped as a powdery fist smashed the ground he was standing on.

"Hey, no fair! No devil fruits allowed!" he swung his leg back, stretching it to inhuman proportions. "If that's the way it's gonna be, then GOMU GOMU NO WHIP!" the outstretched leg caught on the point of the water fountain. Luffy yelped as his body was tugged backwards as he was sent flying into the air. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAAAAAAAAAAT…" his voice trailed off as he sailed into the sky. Smoker blinked.

"He's a… rubber human?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Whoo-hoo-hoo! This is crazy! Too cool! This place is full of good stuff!" Usopp cheered as he looked about the tackily-decorated shop.

"Welcome sir!" a seedy man in desperate need of a brow-wax walked out of the back, rubbing his hands together. "All of the things you see on display were once used by pirates who sailed the grand line. These are valuable, special items, of course." Usopp's eyes bugged out in shock.

"You mean, these are all things that they used on their adventures on the grand line?"

"Of course!" the shopkeeper crowed, taking slow steps forward. "We aim to cater to the needs of true warriors of the sea! We are so glad to have your business!" by this time, he was close enough to have Usopp's phallic nose pressed up against his forehead. "So how about it? This is a gun that was actually used by gold roger!" Usopp gave a start and stared at the toy gun.

"EEEH! This was gold roger's!"

'_Idiot. Check the label. It says 'made in north blue.'' _Usopp nearly jumped out of his skin as an unknown voice spoke. _'Gold Roger was born in east blue. And this toy was developed five years ago. Gold roger died over twenty years ago.'_

"Who's there!" Usopp whipped around, looking for the speaker. The shopkeeper looked at the customer, his grin never faltering.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Usopp flinched and stared at the man.

"Did you hear that? There was somebody talking!" the man shook his head.

"I heard nothing, sir!"

'_Of course he didn't hear me; I'm in your head.'_ Usopp's eyes bugged out. _'Don't say anything, just leave. This entire store is a rip-off. I mean, come on, think about it! Do you REALLY think gold roger would have a use for a TOY GUN on the grand line?' _Usopp gaped as he processed the mystery voice's logic. It did make sense, in an odd sort of fashion. Usopp grinned shakily and looked at the shopkeeper.

"Err, I, uh, just realized that I forgot my wallet at home, I'm gonna go get it! But hold on to that gun for me!" he shuffled out of the store and breathed a sigh of relief. 'Almost got conned there.'

'_For someone who tells so many lies, you're surprisingly gullible.' _The mystery voice quipped. Usopp whirled around in a circle, trying to get the person in sight.

"What the hell are you anyway!" he yelped. He got a… feeling, he guessed he could call it, that the voice was grinning wryly.

'_You know, you can just think what you want to say. I AM in your head, so I can hear it. That way, you don't sound like a nut, talking to somebody not there.'_ Usopp blinked and realized that there were people giving him odd looks.

'Uh… I guess. Thanks.'

'_No problem.' _

'But what the hell are you! And why are you in my head!' Usopp felt the voice 'shrug'.

'_Name's Sogeking. I used to be you, until you got your memories back. As for why I'm still here, I honestly do not know. I figured I would've just… I dunno, disappeared, or something. So I'm as lost as you are why I'm in your head.' _Usopp's eyes widened.

'When I almost got killed by Arlong!'

'_Exactly.' _Usopp rubbed his chin, thinking.

'So… what? Are you going to be, like, a split personality or something?' Sogeking 'shrugged'.

'_I suppose. Oh, and before I forget. Are you going to use my guns?' _Usopp cocked his head.

''Your' guns?'

'_On your belt. The guns I got from the doctor. If you're not going to use them, then put them away. I've grown fond of tem, and I'd rather not have them get rusted away.' _Usopp frowned.

'I suppose. I like my slingshot better, so yeah.' He plucked them out of the loops and snapped open his side bag. He stuck his hand into the bag, before frowning. 'Huh?'

'_Something wrong?'_

'Did you get me a new bag while you were out? I can't feel the bottom.' Sogeking arched an eyebrow.

'_Not unless I sleepwalk or something. What do you mean, you can't feel the bottom?' _Usopp's scowl deepened as rummaging sounds sounded out.

'I mean that no matter how deep I stick my arm in, I can't feel the bottom. The sides of it, either.' Sogeking's 'eyes' widened.

'_You serious?' _ He scratched his 'head'. _'That's odd… unless... I did feel something odd happening when I woke up… but… could it be possible?' _he mumbled. _'Usopp, let go of the pistols, and then think about them being in your hand.' _

'Why?' Usopp thought as he released the flintlock. He didn't even feel the thump off transferred weight in the bag. 'Are you going to tell what this is abo-' his eyes bugged out of his skull as he felt the butt slap into the center of his palm. Sogeking grinned triumphantly.

'_I knew it! I have no idea how the hell that happened, but that bag has just become hammerspace!' _Usopp was too unwound to reply. _'it's a theory that scientists for the world government came up with from, of all places, cartoons, where pissed off females pulled out objects from seemingly nowhere, most often a hammer to strike perverted men! The theory states that there is no limit to how much can be stored in hammerspace, and all that is required to summon an object is a thought! That bag is one of a kind!'_

'H-how the hell do you know all this and I don't!' Usopp screeched mentally.

'_Don't ask me, I just do! But that bag is awesome!' _Usopp thought for a moment, before a shaky grin forced its way onto his face.

'I-it is pretty cool, isn't it? I created it! Those world government people, they got it from me! That's why they call me the great CAPTAAAAAAA-'

'_Give it a rest, you can't lie to yourself.'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kuro silently walked into the revelrous pub, a stark counterpoint with his neat suit against the filthy sailors. He dropped into a swivel-seat and thumped on the counter. "Bartender." The greasy man walked over.

"Yeah?"

"Where would I be able to find the best custom weapons artisan on the island?" the man grinned.

"well, I might be able to tell you… but you see, I've been having a bit of a memory problem lately…" a single gold coin flipped into his mouth as he was speaking, and he coughed it into his hand. Kuro folded his hand in an arch and placed his head on them.

"Where?" the man shook his head and nodded.

"Thank ye kindly, stranger! Out on Main Street, there's a shop called 'the wayward samurai'. They're the best we have. Or…" he stroked his chin. "nah. You don't look like a fool."

"Tell me."

"Well… there is one person better than them… but not a single person in the world is daft enough to try their luck on him." Kuro nodded.

"I require the best. Where can I find him?" the man snorted.

"At this time of day? He's probably outside, unconscious in the mud." The captain of the Black Cat pirates frowned, but nodded anyway.

"I… see. Thank you." he got up from the stool and walked out. As he pushed open the swinging doors, he looked to the left. Sure enough, there were a pair of legs sticking out from underneath the deck, unmoving. Kuro sighed and grabbed the pair of feet and dragged the man out from underneath.

He was an old man, Kuro could easily tell. His face was almost completely obscured by a ratty, gray-streaked beard and strings of unwashed hair. He was also completely passed out. Kuro dragged him over to a water trough and dunked his head in. the results were immediate. The man started flailing around helplessly in his grip as Kuro dragged him back up. The man spat out water and cussed loudly.

"Godammit, boy! Do that again and I'll murder ya!"

"You are too drunk to stand on your own feet. I doubt you could murder anything." Kuro said, a tinge of anger working its way into his voice. The man lunged in his grip with a wordless snarl. Kuro whirled him around and dunked his head into the trough once again.

"GODAMMIT, BOY! I'm awake!" the old man shouted.

"That one was for trying to murder me." Kuro snipped. "I've heard you're a master weapon smith. I require a custom blade. Will you do the job?" the man blinked, before laughing uproariously.

"GWAHAHAHAHAHA! Even today, fools still walk this earth! Do you have a death wish? No man in the world will take a sword made by me!"

"Will you take the job?" Kuro repeated. The man snorted.

"No. I'm through making blades. My touch curses them for eternity." He scowled up at Kuro. "Since you woke me out of my stupor, you get to take me back to my home. NOW!" Kuro slung him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. The sword smith flailed in his grip and pounded against his shoulders. "Godammit, boy! PUT ME DOWN!"

"You wanted my help. You're going to have to deal with the consequences." Kuro scowled. This was not going nearly as well as he had planned. The man screamed like an illiterate toddler and flailed. Finally, Kuro tossed him into a new pile of mud.

"GODAMMIT! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" the man screamed. "Just leave me to my misery!"

"You've been nothing but a pain in the ass since I met you. I ask you a simple question, and you toss it back in my face without so much as a single explanation. You ask me to help you, and then curse me to hell for doing it. You straighten yourself out, or I'll show you the reason I've got a twenty-five million bounty on my head!" Kuro growled. The old man's head jerked up, eyes wide with shock.

"You're a pirate! GWAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed. "Well, ain't that just sweet! My main supplier has come back to haunt me!"

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"Shit! They're too damn expensive!" Zoro cursed as he leaned on the window of a weapons shop. Luffy-clone whistled.

"Jeez. That IS expensive. And those katana aren't even that good!" Zoro looked over at Luffy-clone, a pleading look on his face.

"Luffy, I can't borrow any more money from Nami, but one sword isn't enough for the Grand Line! Could you-" Luffy clone shook his head.

"Sorry, no can do. I don't have the hourglass, the original does. See?" he pulled down the neck of his vest to show that yes, his hourglass necklace was gone. Zoro swore.

"Dammit! Then what am I supposed to…"

"Yo! So, you ain't with that monster today, are you?" Luffy-clone looked over his shoulder at the quickly gathering crowd, frowning. He walked over and shoved his way into the crowd, Zoro trailing after him.

"Excuse me, you're being rude!" the woman they were talking to said. Luffy-clone, with a start, realized it was Tashigi talking. 'Shit! Let's hope my wanted poster hasn't circulated too much yet, or I'm screwed!'

"Shut up!" a second, petulant voice shouted. "Thanks to him, our boss is locked up in jail!" Luffy-clone offhandedly realized they were talking about Smoker.

"Have you not given up?" Tashigi said as Luffy reached the front of the crowd.

"No way!" the first voice growled. "You chicken or something?"

"We're going to send you back to him in pieces!" the second man leered.

I understand. I will have to fight with you." Tashigi readjusted her grip on her bundle. The fat man laughed.

"'That so, baby?"

"Don't make me laugh!"

"What the hell can a little woman like you do?" Zoro flicked his sword out an inch, but Luffy-clone merely held out an arm and shook his head.

"Wait. Let's see how she handles this." The two pirates leaped into the air, swinging their oversized swords.

"TAKE THIS!" the sheath of her katana clunked to the ground. She sliced twice, and the pirates were on the ground, asses in the air. The crowd ooh'd and aah'd at the display of swordsmanship. Luffy-clone grinned.

"Told you she'd make it out." Zoro straightened out and flicked his katana back in. Tashigi took one step and tripped over her feet. She went head-over-heels and landed face-first on the ground, glasses skittering across the cobblestone. Someone in the crowd laughed good-naturedly.

"Ha ha ha, guess she can't handle her own strength!"

"Glasses… glasses… where are my glasses…" Tashigi felt about for the eyewear as Zoro picked it up.

"Oi. You looking for these?" Tashigi looked up, and Luffy-clone could see the unadulterated shock slam onto his face. 'He looks like a deer caught in the torchlight. Then again, I probably would too, if there was a chick that looked like my childhood crush.' Luffy-clone mused as Zoro's hand instinctively clenched. Unfortunately, the glasses were still in said fist. Zoro and the marine girl blinked together as they realized what had happened.

"My glasses!"

"I-it was an accident!" Zoro stuttered.

"Those are expensive, you know! How could you do such a cruel thing?" Luffy-clone was rolling in the street, laughing his ass off.

"But I didn't mean to…!" Tashigi shoved herself into his face.

"Please replace them!" Zoro's face curdled into one of unbelievable internal struggle. Luffy-clone forced himself to his feet, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Oh, I'm so sorry miss, but you're not going to get a dime out of him! He's completely and utterly broke!" Luffy-clone reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet he had pilfered from some unsuspecting civilian. "Here, take this!" Tashigi frowned.

"I'll not take charity from a bystander! He alone has to work off his debt!" Luffy-clone rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a bystander, I'm his friend. We work on the same ship together. Now, take the damn money!" Tashigi frowned, but accepted the wad of cash anyway. Luffy-clone grinned and helped her to her feet. "But seriously, that was some pretty impressive swordplay back there! You practice a lot?"

"I practice daily in the marine dojo." Luffy-clone's eyes lit up.

"You're a marine! Great, then you must know this place like the back of your hand! We're restocking our supplies in town, and my friend here needs to get two new swords! He busted them in practice! You know of a joint where we can get them cheap?" Zoro, having withstood enough, grabbed Luffy-clone by the arm and yanked him away. "Hey! What gives?"

"Are you out of your mind!" Zoro hissed. "She's a marine, we can't be getting a guided tour from her! We should get out of here!" Luffy-clone turned serious.

"Is this because of what she is, or how she looks?" Zoro froze up. "Yeah, I know about Kuina. You told us about her a day or two before Raftel."

"It doesn't matter how she looks! She's still a marine! Why are you getting all buddy-buddy with her!" Zoro scowled. Luffy-clone matched the scowl.

"You want to know why I'm getting friendly with her? Because she was so brainwashed by the world government's righteousness that even after her captain abandoned the marines and became a pirate himself, she followed us to Raftel! She even killed Usopp, in the end! She was one of the casualties of the world government, in the end!" Luffy-clone poked Zoro in the chest. "You want to know why I'm getting buddy-buddy with her? Because when I began sailing, I swore to myself that I would fight the world government in any and all ways possible, and making her realize that they're not saints is one way! She killed Usopp, dammit, and I'm willing to ignore that to fight them, and if I can put up with her killing nakama, then you sure as hell can tolerate her looking like your dead girlfriend!" by this point, Luffy-clone was shouting, attracting all sorts of unwanted attention from the crowds. Zoro, however, was dangerously silent. Luffy-clone turned and realized his audience. He smiled disarmingly and waved them away. "All right, people, show's over, nothing to see here!" the crowd grumbled disappointedly, but slowly filed away. Tashigi stared at the two as Luffy-clone grinned and waved at her.

"What were you two arguing about?" Luffy-clone shrugged.

"Oh, just someone from our past we had seen recently. It's all good now." Tashigi slowly nodded. Luffy-clone slapped her on the back good-naturedly. "Now, about that shop! Any idea where it is!"

"Well, I was going to visit later, to pick up my sword, but, I guess I could go now…" Luffy-clone whooped.

"Yeah! C'mon, friend! Let's go find some swords!" Zoro began walking, dangerously silent. Tashigi looked at the two and decided to voice the niggling thought.

"Are the two of you in a relationship?" Luffy-clone tripped on air and face-planted into the cobblestone as Zoro grew red in the face.

"SILENCE! I KILL YOU!" he screamed. Tashigi backed away, only to fall flat on her butt.

"Owowowowoww…" she moaned. Luffy-clone forced himself to his feet and yanked her up.

"Don't ever say that he's gay again. He's a bit of a homophobe, because of all the people asking him if he's the dominant." Tashigi blinked. The three earrings, the swords, the muscled hands, she could see where the confusion could come from.

"Then, you're not gay?" Luffy-clone wildly shook his head.

"Hell no! We work on the same ship, and were best buds, nothing more! Why do you ask?" Luffy-clone pushed the slowly advancing Zoro to the ground, breaking his death grip on his katana. "Down, boy."

"Well, you two seemed to know each other intimately, like, and I didn't see him ever disagree with something you said…" Tashigi trailed off uncertainly as Zoro was trembling in his boots. Luffy-clone stared at Zoro.

"No. bad dog. No slaughter for you." Tashigi began giggling as Zoro wilted, muttering to himself. Luffy-clone shrugged.

"Now, about that shop?"

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"You served pirates?" Kuro took a sip from a delicate cup of tea, now in the home of the sword smith. The old man nodded, nursing his head with a bag of ice.

"Yeah. They were my cash cow. The best of the best came to me for their weapons, back in the day." He moaned as he talked. "Curse this hangover!" Kuro realized that now that the man had his wits about him and wasn't in a hangover-induced rage, he wasn't that bad of a guy.

"Then why are you so hated now?" the man snorted.

"Because I've lost my magic touch! Any blade that I've had a hand in making is ruined! My greatest creations, my pride and joy, bring death and despair to whoever wields them!" Kuro's eyes shot open, realization dawning.

"Oh my god… you created the Kitetsu." The old man sighed and smiled melancholically.

"That's right. Seiji Ueda, at your service. The greatest sword smith nobody will ever buy from." He swirled his drink in the bottle. "I created blades, shops bought them, wars were fought with them, and people were slaughtered with them. So it goes. Then, one day, a great pirate, with deep coffers, comes into my shop. He orders a set of three blades, and paid a king's ransom for my finest work.

"I was leery of selling to him, but I did. As soon as the blades began to take shape, I knew that they would be my finest. I was a man possessed. They consumed my life's work. When they were done, I felt that I had sired them from my own loins." He took a massive swig of his drink and gasped. "Those swords made my fortune. After them, pirates would come form all over to the man who not only served pirates, but had created not one, not two, but three of the eighty-three greatest blades in the world." His expression turned sour. "If only I knew what I had done…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy-clone and company pushed open the doors to the small weapons shop, the bell above the door tinkling as it opened. Zoro pushed them aside brusquely and strode forward. "I want to buy a sword." The dozing shop owner snapped to attention, wiping a jewel of drool from his lip.

"Y-yes, yes, welcome! Feel free to browse around! We've been in business for over two hundred years, you know!" the swordsman pulled out a wad of cash and fisted the counter.

"I've got a hundred thousand beli. Sell me two katana." The eager look on the man's face dripped off onto the floor. Luffy-clone snickered. 'Not as eager to butter him up when he's not a high-roller.'

"Fifty thousand will only buy you a crappy sword." The man groused. Zoro shrugged.

"I don't really care at the moment. I'm a little short on money at the moment, so sell me whatever you have." Luffy-clone snickered.

"At the moment? How about all the time?" Zoro jerked his head back and gave Luffy-clone a long, hard stare. Luffy-clone waved him off as the shopkeeper's eyes widened. Luffy-clone scowled. 'I smell a scam brewing.'

"Oi, oi… th-th-th-that katana… c-c-can I see it for a s-s-s-s-second?" the balding man stuttered wildly. Luffy-clone's scowl deepened. 'He realized about Wado.' Zoro, however, was oblivious.

"What're you so nervous about?" well, not totally oblivious.

"Oh, come on!" the shopkeeper all but screamed, slapping the table. Zoro pulled the sword out of the loop in his belt, sheath and all.

"Weird old guy…" he muttered. Luffy-clone looked over to Tashigi.

"Hey. You got a spare pair of glasses on you?" Tashigi shook her head, before frowning.

"Ummm… I might… I don't know…" she started patting herself down as the salesman snapped the sheath shut.

"Wow, what a beat up old katana. But I like the hilt, so I might be able to give you something for it. I'll give you two hundred thousand. That way, you have three hundred thousand, and you can buy three decent one hundred thousand beli katana!" Luffy-clone elbowed Tashigi.

"You hear that? The guy's practically screaming, 'scam!'" Tashigi frowned and rustled around in her pockets even faster.

"What's so special about his sword?" she muttered as the man's voice grew frantic.

"Alright, you got me! Sixty five!" Zoro remained silent. "I got it, you businessman! I'll buy it for eight hundred thousand beli!"

"a-HA!" Tashigi crowed as she pulled out a pair of glasses. "I knew I had it somewhere!" she strode forward confidently, plucking the blade from the man's hands. "Now, let's see what's so special about this katana…" Luffy-clone grinned as she exclaimed her surprise.

"Saved by the ditzy marine girl… who woulda thunk it?" she whipped out what appeared to be a pocket dictionary of swords. She rifled through it, stopping on a page with a likeness of Wado Ichimonji emblazoned on it. The shopkeeper trembled with barely controlled rage as she looked at it.

"This is a blade that is worth over twenty million beli! But… why would you two have such a valuable sword?"

"YOOOU! You told him everything! You're ruining my business!" the shopkeeper screamed, slamming his fist against the wood. Tashigi blinked and lowered her glasses, as if she could not see him properly.

"Ruining your business? I'm sorry… I assumed that you were scamming him, instead of making an honest sale!" the man growled and tossed a jade-colored sword at her haphazardly.

"This is your sword, right? Take it! You're no longer welcome here!" Tashigi clumsily caught, stumbling around with the blade in the air. She tripped on a knot on the floor and would have plowed headfirst into a stack of katanas had Luffy-clone stuck his arm out and caught her fall. Tashigi blushed at the close contact with a stranger she didn't even know the name of as Luffy-clone grinned.

"Better?" Tashigi nodded, not trusting her voice. The sword seller let out a scoff.

"The ditzy girl saved you. That blade is worth more than you will ever know, you amateur!" he pointed at the corner of the store, where two bins of sloppily piled katanas were. "The fifty thousand katanas are in those barrels. Pick two and get out!"

"What's that guy's problem?" Zoro muttered angrily as he shuffled over to the barrels. Luffy-clone held out his blade.

"I'm here for a new sheath for this. I get the feeling this is a mismatched pair." The man took the sword and shook it, eliciting a loud rattle.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing. This was definitely not the sword's original sheath. Katana-less sheaths are in the bins, with the crappy katanas. Find one, and get out." Luffy-clone had to repress a snarl. 'Bust him doing something illegal, and something crawls up his ass and dies.' He walked over to the barrels as Tashigi began small talk with Zoro.

"You must really like swords, since you have three of them." Zoro grunted, not deigning her with an answer. "It reminds me of this one bounty hunter I've heard of." The swordsman's ears pricked up. He smirked as he shuffled through the cheap blades.

"A bounty hunter, you say?" Tashigi nodded.

"His name is Roronoa."

"I hear that name a lot." Luffy-clone nearly snickered out loud as he drew a sheath out and tested it. 'Nope, no good.'

"Yes. They say that he is a great swordsman, but I know he is evil!" Zoro quirked an eyebrow at Luffy-clone. The water clone merely rolled his eyes. "Anyone who uses blades for money is unforgivable!" she looked up at the veiling, a wistful look in her eyes. "Why are all the powerful blades in the hands of bounty hunters and pirates? The swords are crying…"

"So, you're saying that anybody who uses blades for profit is evil?" Luffy-clone looked at Zoro and winked. He smirked back. "Then what exactly are the marines?" Tashigi snapped up.

"The marines are an organization founded by the world government, dedicated to justice and sworn to combat evil-doers everywhere!"

"Do many people in the marines use swords?" Tashigi nodded.

"Yes."

"And do you get paid, miss marine?" Luffy-clone continued. Tashigi nodded, unsure.

"Yes, but where…?"

"Then you are using your blade for profit. Wouldn't that make YOU the evil one?" Tashigi's eyes widened as if she had been slapped.

"The marines are a noble cause! They are not evil!"

"You say that because you are one of them. Now, look through the eyes of the people that you spend your life hunting. Don't you think that in their eyes, the marines are the aggressors? Especially since most of them are forced into their profession!"

"Nobody forces them into piracy! Piracy is a terrible thing!" Tashigi yelled.

"Oh? Then what are they to do with their swordsmanship skills? Waving a blade around doesn't put food on the table. And let's not forget how the marines never let them practice their art, unhindered."

"But… there are dojos that they can fight in, safely…" Tashigi trembled.

"Miss, have you EVER seen a true battle between master swordsmen?" Zoro interrupted. Tashigi, reluctantly, shook her head. "Then you would not know that there isn't a dojo that anybody can construct that would possibly hold them. They would bring it down on their heads, and then what would the marines do to them?"

"They would arrest them for wanton destruction of property!" Tashigi responded automatically, before clasping her hand over her mouth. "Oh…!"

"Exactly. If they would get arrested for doing it the legal way, then why not got all the way? In for a one, in for a ten, I believe the saying goes." Luffy-clone smirked. Tashigi, however, looked like a child who had just been told their birthday was cancelled. "Learn to think like your enemy thinks, before you needlessly condemn them. They are human, too. They have wants, and needs, and families that they care about as well as the 'good guys' some people might go so far to say that YOU are the bad guys. Think about that." Zoro finished his speech as his hand clasped around a blade. His head jerked down and stared at the blade. Luffy-clone noticed the look of intense concentration on his face.

'What? Did he notice something about the blade?' Luffy-clone blinked once. A wind gusted into the shop, carrying three green, fertile leaves. Luffy-clone opened his eyes, exposing the auras of the world. He looked down at the blade, and instinctively gasped. 'What the hell!'

The blade was a deep, dark black. It wasn't even a color anymore; it was a LACK of color. The aura extended out a good foot away, engulfing Zoro's hand completely. 'I… I've never even seen an aura that deep… that blade… is evil…' the swordsman pulled the blade out, sheath and all. Tashigi gave a start out of her reverie.

"Huh? That blade, could it be…?" she pulled out her sword-dictionary and flipped through it. She stopped on a blade where the likeness of the blade was printed. "I knew it! It's the Sandai Kitetsu! Is this really for fifty thousand? You, you should get it!" the shop owner, trembling behind the counter, spoke out.

"No, I won't sell it!" Tashigi whirled on him, a triumphant look on her face.

"I knew it! A blade like that, for fifty thousand…"

"No, it's not that! It's-" Zoro swung the naked steel downwards, staring at it. Luffy-clone's eyes followed it.

"It's cursed." The two spoke in tandem. The man's eyes widened.

"You knew?"

"no." Zoro whispered. "I feel it."

"I see it." Luffy-clone said softly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Demons?" Kuro said incredulously, eyebrow arched high. Seiji nodded solemnly.

"Aye, lad. Demons. I only found out what the pirate wanted to do after I forged the Kitetsu. He was going to use them as containers for a trio of demon brothers. I don't know what foul and arcane magic he used, but it worked. The brothers were sealed away in the blades, the eldest in the Shodai, the youngest in the Sandai, and the middle brother in the Nidai. They made the blades sharper than anything forgeable by man… but they also infect anybody who wields them with their accursed luck." He took a swig from a beer bottle he had procured from somewhere.

"The business was better than anybody else on the island. But then the reports came in. the Shodai's wielder had disappeared. Then the Sandai. Then the Nidai. And then the next set of wielders died. And the next set. And the next. And the next. By then, people were afraid of my work. Nobody would buy from me. I went bankrupt. I had to sell my shop. My wife abandoned me. All because of those damn swords!" he chucked the booze at the wall, shattering it into a million pieces. "My whole life, I've forged the best I can do, and then my children turn on me! It's not fair!" he deflated onto himself, and Kuro could see the man almost shrink. "My life was ruined…"

"Then get on with it." Kuro spoke. Seiji's head whipped up. "If something in your life does not go right, deal with it, and move on. Do not brood on it, or your whole life of good opportunities is wasted. You would throw away your livelihood because of one failure? Grow up!" Kuro said forcefully, pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "If there is something in your life that you do not like, then fix it! If you can't fix it, then ignore it, work around it! Never stop moving!" he stood up. "I was once content to live out my days as a shadow of who I really was, because I did not like the marines chasing me, intent on capturing my bounty. But then a man, my captain, came to me and showed me that above everything else, the most important thing in life is pride! I was content to throw away my pride for a few comforts of home! But someone who deserts pride for comfort deserves neither!

"You said that the Kitetsu were like your children! Well, then, treat them like your children! Does a parent stop loving their children because of their failings? No, they continue on! You are no parent, yet they are children!" he strode forcefully to the door. "I see now that I was wrong to come to you for my help. You are a pathetic wretch of a man that deserves everything you have brought upon yourself. Good day." He threw open the door and almost ran out. As soon as he was out of sight, he straightened out his clothes and pushed his glasses up his nose. "There. Let's hope my acting skills were up to par. Though I must say, for not planning it out, and not believing in any of that, that speech went wonderfully. I might need to wing things a bit more." He strolled away, a spring in his step.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"The Kitetsu swords are all first-class blades… but they're all cursed!" the shopkeeper said gravely. "All of the people who used the blades have died horrible, mysterious deaths. You won't find a single person in the world who will use a Kitetsu, because anybody who uses them ends up dead!" Luffy-clone stared with growing horror at the blade, when a whispering voice sounded out.

"**Yes… yes, use me, fear me, slice me! Let me be free, let me carve your face up like a fresh little piggy! Let me go, let me out, let there be blood on the floor, blood on the streets, blood of the fat piggies! Release me!" **Luffy-clone realized, bile growing in the back of his throat, that the voice was coming form the SWORD.

'D-demon…' Luffy -clone thought, terrified that Zoro used such a sword before for such a long time.

"I wanted to get rid of the damn thing, because of its curse…" the shopkeeper continued. Tashigi, mortified at what she had done, bowed over and over.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have pried!" Zoro flicked the blade up, staring at the wave-edged pattern.

"Nice sword. I'll take it!" Luffy-clone, Tashigi and the sword seller jerked back in fear.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, yes! Free me! Free me, and I'll slice up your face! I'll carve up the pretty girl, I'll slice up the boy who sees me, peek-a-boo! Clever boy, FREE ME!" **

"What!" Luffy -clone shouted. 'It knows I can see it!'

"Are you crazy! If I sold you that sword and you died, wouldn't it be like I killed you!" the man shouted. His wife appeared out of nowhere and smashed him upside the head, and the two argued. Luffy-clone tuned it all out as he stared at the Sandai Kitetsu.

"Well, then!" Zoro spoke, interrupting the lover's quarrel. "My luck… and this sword's curse… let's see which is stronger!" he flicked the blade up into the air, spinning wildly. He held out his arm directly into the trajectory of the demonic blade. The man panicked.

"Are you nuts! Do you want to lose your arm! Its sharpness is the real thing!"

"If I can't tame this sword… then I have no right to call myself a swordsman!" Zoro proclaimed. Sandai cackled.

"**YES YES YES! BLOOD, SLICE, DEATH! FREE ME!" **Luffy-clone saw the world slow down. The blade shrieked with maddened glee. **"peek-a-boo, I slice you!" **Luffy -clone watched in horror as the katana, through sheer force of will, sped its own spin up.

'It's cheating! It's trying to slice his arm off!' Luffy -clone reached down to grip his sword, and drew it an inch. His eyes widened as the world froze. Himself, the spinning Kitetsu, his breath, everything. The naked inch of steel glowed a blinding white, and a low, deep chanting permeated the air.

"**Hasshoudou, hasshoudou, hasshoudou…" **the voices chanted. The black aura of the sword writhed in agony as the demon screamed.

"**NOOOOOOOO! NOOO, NOOOO! DIRTY TRICK, DIRTY TRICK, DIRTY TRICK! I WAS WINNING, I WAS WINNING! I WANTS BLEEDING, I WANTS BLOOD!" **the blade howled. The blade in Luffy -clone's hand flashed once, and eight will-o'-the-wisps flew out, surrounding the blade.

"**Hasshoudou, hasshoudou, hasshoudou…" **the wisps chanted as they spun around the blade. Thick, inethereal chains slammed onto the blade. The blackness surrounding the blade writhed in agony.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…" **the demon's scream faded away, along with the spirits. The glow of Luffy-clone's katana faded…

And the world breathed out.

The blade spun downwards, passing by Zoro's arm harmlessly, burying itself to the hilt in the floor. Luffy-clone, Tashigi and the shop owner collapsed bonelessly to the wooden floor. Zoro looked up, a predatory grin on his face.

"I'll take it!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Wow, that was a REALLY big twist from what I imagined, but my muse was uncontrollable! How 'bout we all thank smee (the name of my muse) for a wonderful chapter? 'Round of applause'

Alright, question for you guys! Do any of my readers have any experience making games? I, along with a couple of my school friends, are making a video game! All we need is someone to make it for us! We've got the plot and stuff more or less worked out, so… yeah. And would any of you actually buy it? It's sort of an I-Am-Legend, resident-evil thing, only a lot better. It's REALLY hard to explain, but its freakin'sweet! So, any takers?

Once again, sorry for taking so long, Murphy's Law hates me! I'll try not to take NEARLY as long for the next chapter! Five reviews starts me working on it, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	20. To The Grand Line

Awww, it's The Will of D's twentieth birthday! Cheers! 'Blows streamer' let's break out the crackers and celebrate my uselessness at ending a story quick!

Oh, and before I forget, I would like to address some concerns by a reviewer that I have been getting for the past while, by an anonymous reviewer by the name of OP-fan188989.

"Must I come back to inform you of how many mistakes you continue to make? I hope not. Despite my protest, I was hoping you would STOP, if you hadn't already, writing this thing."

In the words of one of my favorite authors (but whose name, ironically, escapes me right now);

"Allow me a rebuttal:

GROW THE HELL UP."

You have done nothing but flame me for two chapters now. Now, I have nothing against flames. After all, I use them to roast my s'mores. But you… you REALLY piss me off. You seem to assume that in fanfiction, you're supposed to follow the blueprint created by the author.

IT'S FANFICTION. Not authorfiction, FANfiction. If you wanted authorfiction, go read the canon story! You know how Eneru thinks he's god? Well, guess what? In this story, I AM GOD! It's my world, my story, and I can shape it however I want it. You are an arrogant asshole who seems to think himself superior to anybody else on this site. Well, how about you get an account and write something yourself? At least then, we all have somewhere to respond. You don't even have the balls to have an account for us to tell you to shut the hell up! You just leave your comments and disappear! You don't have the balls to write something of your own, and you're telling ME that my story is horribly done? Listen to the pot calling the kettle black! And you're not even being rude to just me, but other reviewers!

"It's terribly done, and I do have to say that this Inublade guy is rather too nice. He should be open with how terrible the story is."

How much of an arrogant asshole are you?

I would be perfectly fine if you were just bashing me. I can handle that. Sticks and stones may break my bones, and all that. But THEN you call into play one of my good reviewers! Unlike YOU, Mr. 'I'm too good for the rest of you mortals', he leaves CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM, that I can use to make my story better! HE tells me what I did that was good and what was bad, so that I can do more of the good and less of the bad, thereby making the story better! YOU, on the other hand, tell me things that would otherwise break the spirit of someone new to writing fanfiction! And it's not just me that you're bashing, either! I've seen your reviews on other One Piece short stories, with scathing remarks that would cause somebody relatively new to fanfiction, or any writing at all, to be completely shattered!

You, dear sir, are an asshole that will die a lonely, pitiful man.

And I take a savage, vindictive pleasure in saying that you are the only one who thinks this! In case you haven't noticed, you little bitch, this story has over three hundred reviews! This, for the One Piece community, is a huge number! What do you say to THAT, hmmmmmm? Nothing? Of course not, you phony!

If you don't like this story, then stop reading it! That's the natural reaction to things not enjoyed! You don't like a food? Don't eat it! You don't like a show? Don't watch it! You don't like a story? Don't fuckin' read it! Find someone else to bitch at!

You come back again and I'm blocking anonymous reviews. I'm sorry to all of you who are polite and well-mannered and use anonymous reviews, but this guy is a royal dick-wad, not only to me, but to other fanfiction writers. Somebody's got to stand up to him, be a champion of the little man. So come on, asshole. Make my day.

I apologize to all of you who withstood that little rant of mine, but that guy pisses me off to no end. As recompense, I'm going to make this chapter extra-long! Enjoy!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Disclaimer: I think that after twenty chapters, I think the fact that I don't own One Piece should be PRETTY clear!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"…up Luffy! Wake up! C'mon, Luffy! Get up!" a dim voice shouted. Luffy realized, rather belatedly, that it was talking to him. "Wake up Luffy! Get your lazy ass up!"

"Ughh… what happened?" Luffy groaned as he shifted himself up. He looked around and found himself in a rather large indent next to a fountain. And it was most definitely not in the main plaza anymore.

"You landed, that's what happened!" gold roger announced, holding out a hand to Luffy. The pirate captain gripped it and pulled himself up.

"Aren't you worried that somebody will recognize you?" Luffy looked around with a worried glance. Roger snorted.

"Doubtful. I chased away everybody." Roger melted away, leaving Luffy 'alone'. "So, any idea where we landed?"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the local!"

"Yeah, twenty YEARS ago! Memories get a little fuzzy after that!" roger retorted, before shaking his head. "You know what? Never mind. Let's try and find the platform again."

"Is it even worth all the trouble? We got sent flying away once, you've seen it once, let's let sleeping dogs lie and get out of here!" Luffy ran down an alley, glancing around. "Where're all the others?"

"Dunno. And I haven't seen the view before, thank you very much!" Luffy skidded to a halt.

"Err, earth to roger! You DIED there!" roger shook his head.

"Not yet, I haven't! I warped out of the jail cell I was kept in BEFORE I was executed! I like sightseeing as much as the next man, and I have a morbid curiosity in the view I saw and will see!" Luffy blinked twice before scratching his head.

"y'know, that kind of makes sense. If you HAD actually died up there, there would only be one thing to do."

"What's that?" Luffy grinned and started running.

"Go through your pockets and look for loose change!" gold roger materialized and ran after the boy, a laughing frown on his face.

"Get back here, you impudent little brat!" Luffy laughed and ran harder.

"You'll have to catch me first!" a sudden wind blew up, gusting the straw hat on his head away. Luffy shrieked and ran after the yellowed object. "HAT! RETURN TO ME, MY LOVE! COME BACK TO ME, HAT! HAT!" he sprinted after it, gold roger shaking his head and melting away merely to keep up. The pirate king looked up at the sky and frowned.

'The air… the sky… it's saturated with water. My power feels as if it is going to boil over. There's a storm coming, and I'll be damned if it's a natural one.' Luffy, however, noticed nothing as he chased down the hat. He snatched the offending headwear out of the air, smashing it to his head.

"YES! You returned to me, my love!" he laughed quietly, until gold roger gasped.

"Luffy… look up." The rubber man did as he said, and blinked.

"… Methinks that that wind wasn't natural."

"Aye. Someone, or something wants us in the execution square. Could it be Kronos?" Luffy pondered it, before shaking his head.

"No, I don't think so. He would have contacted us through you. Whoever it is, it isn't a god." His face split into a grin. "But hey, I'm not complaining! If it gets us the platform, then I'm all for it! You've gotta see the view, roger, it is absolutely INCREDIBLE!"

"I'm all for that!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kronos paced the halls of the gods, a worried frown on his mottled face. **"Something's not right. Something is wrong, so very wrong." **Poseidon, sitting in a lawn chair and sipping a martini, looked up at his father.

"**c'mon, dad, give it a rest. You're wearing a groove in the floor."** Kronos looked down to see that yes, there was a groove in the floor. **"You were never this paranoid before The Downfall."**

"**You don't get it, do you? I've been the only one watching earth for almost a millennia. When you're the only god watching a world meant to be watched by an entire plethora of gods, the responsibilities pile up. I've got a good reason to be paranoid!" **Kronos wiped at his face, dragging his features in exhaustion. Poseidon sighed.

"**Alright, then. What's wrong?" **Kronos breathed out exasperatedly and began pacing again.

"**I don't know. I've just… I've got The Feeling." **Poseidon jerked up out of the seat in alarm. The Feeling in a god was not something you took lightly.

"**Are you sure? You've got The Feeling?" **Kronos nodded.

"**I'm positive. Something is definitely going down on the mortal plane, and it's done by someone up here. But you and I are the only gods that are awake… so unless you did something I didn't know about…"**

"**There's another god awake." **Poseidon finished, his look grave.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Nami grinned cheekily as she strolled through the square, an enormous bag of clothes strung over her shoulder. "Money, money, mo- NEY! Money, money, mo- NEY!" she hummed to herself to the tune of a nameless little ditty. "Money, Luffy, mo- NEY!" she blinked once at the slip, before shrugging and continuing on. "I feel happy, so very happy, I feel happy and snappy and-"

"YO, NAMI!" a distinctly male voice shouted. The cat thief turned around to see Gin running at her, a huge grin on his face. She tapped her chin, thinking.

"Oh, hey! It's… uh, Gin, right?" the pirate defect drew back as if stung.

"Nami, I'm hurt! I've been on the ship for at least a week and you still don't know my name?" she shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry! You just hang out with Sanji and Kuro the most, and I wasn't there when you joined!" Gin thought for a moment, before his big grin returned.

"Aw, forget it! I'm too jazzed up right now!" he loud a fist pump. "AUUU! I FEEL GOOD! Na-na-na-na-na-na-NA!" he danced around, a stupid grin dancing on his face as name giggled. "I knew that I would! Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-NA! I FEEL GOOD!"

Nami giggled again, her hand over her mouth. "Fine, then, Mr. I-Feel-Good! What's got you so happy?" he pulled out a pair of tonfa from behind his back, twirling them around like an old hand. Which, he was.

"ta-DAHHHH!" he shouted dramatically, holding them out to her. She looked at the weapons, unimpressed.

"Yeah… what about them?" Gin's smile faltered.

"Wait… you don't realize anything different about them?" she shook her head, and he wilted. "Dammit… and after I trick them out, too…"

Nami felt guilty now. "Oh, I'm sorry. Tell me, what's so different about them?" he waved her off.

"No, it's okay… dammit, and I paid good money for those customizations…" he whipped up, seemingly nonplussed. "Ah, well! You'll be impressed when I get to use them! So, where is everybody?"

"I don't know. I was out shopping, so, you're the first person I've seen!" Gin frowned and looked around.

"Hmm… that's odd…"

"Yo, Gin!" Arlong shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd, freezing as soon as he saw who he was with. He bowed deeply. "Miss Nami." The navigator merely upturned her nose and looked away. Arlong shrugged and looked at Gin. "Hey, nice tonfa. Are they new?"

"THANK YOU GOD!" Gin screamed. "Finally, somebody realizes!" Arlong laughed.

"Shahaha! Well, it's kind of hard NOT to realize they're not new! They've got triggers, after all!" Nami blinked and did a double-take. Yes, the tonfa DID have gun triggers, of all things. And the shafts were thicker. 'A lot thicker, actually.' Nami thought. 'What did he do to them?" Gin grinned.

"So, how's the ship going?" Arlong pumped his fist.

"What can I say? The thing's absolutely gorgeous! It's the biggest damn ship I've ever-" Arlong froze. A mortified look slapped onto his features. "Oh, shit."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I think I just realized a problem. Dammit!" Arlong cursed, stomping the ground. "I don't have enough crewmembers to fully man the ship! Dammit!" Gin arched an eyebrow.

"Really? How big is it?"

"It's a ship-of-the-line. Dammit, and I so wanted that ship!" Gin stroked his chin, growing devious.

"A ship-of-the-line, eh? Really… my old ship was a lot bigger than a ship of the line, and I have enough crewmembers to man that easily." He paced forward. "Now that I think about it, the Flying Dutchman probably doesn't have enough room for a hundred men, they'd just become a hindrance. How about, we trade ships? It's a win-win situation!" Arlong's eyes widened.

"You have the Flying Dutchman!" Nami looked back and forth between the men, lost in the exchange.

"Yeah, Luffy raised it from the sea! Someone scuttled it, but my men should have had enough time to make it seaworthy by now! What do you think?" the merman stroked his protruding chin, his look pensive.

"Well… the Flying Dutchman is one of the most famous ships to sail the seas… its fighting power is unrivaled… but I so wanted the Queen of the Sea…" Gin clapped him on the shoulder.

"I'll treat her like my first-born." Arlong nodded.

"You better, because she's a damn good ship! You destroy her, and I'll castrate you with a rusty spoon!" Gin laughed.

"Well, then I'll take extra care of her! I like my balls right where they are, thank you very much!" the two shook hands, and Nami had the distinct impression that there was some sort of odd friendship formed. Gin nodded, looking around.

"Now, where is everybody… let's try back at the ships…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Why am I stuck carrying the heavy end…?" Usopp whined as he shouldered the massive fish Sanji had won. The cook took a drag on his cigarette, looking around disappointedly.

"Shut up. We need to find Nami-swan! Something must have happened if she wasn't here to cheer me on!" Sanji grew pink hearts in his eyes as Sogeking rolled his eyes.

'_He may try to act like a gentleman, but he's really just a perv.' _Usopp stumbled and nearly dropped his payload.

'Shhh! Shut up!'

'_Why? Nobody but you can hear me, so I can say all the things you won't. You're too much of a wuss, so I'll cover your ass on that.' _Usopp frowned.

'Don't call me that!'

'_Why? That's what you are! Candidness hurts, Usopp, get used to it!' _the sniper growled, but refocused on the blue-fin elephant tuna on his shoulder.

"Hey, Sanji! How'd you get this thing?"

"I won it in this contest. Didn't really care about being the east blue's best chef, but this thing is super-rare! I had to enter!" a red blush sprouted. "Not to mention that Carmen-swan was there~~!"

"So, another lady with huge boobs you were hitting on." Usopp's mouth responded automatically, before his hand snapped over it. 'I did not just say that!' Sogeking howled with laughter.

'_See why it's so much more fun to be truthful! It's even funnier than the lie! Hahaha!' _Sanji growled and flipped the tail in the air.

"Just for that, you get to carry it by yourself!" Usopp stumbled about, the backside waving wildly in the air.

"Whoawhoawhoa!" he shouted, the fish slipping from his grip. He fell on his ass, and his shoulder bag snapped open upon impact. The fish finally came free, and fell straight into the bag. It slid its massive bulk inside all the way without a hitch, defying every single dimension of the bag's small opening, and the bag snapped shut. Usopp and Sanji blinked in unison.

"… and, how long has your bag been able to do that?" Sanji started.

"Just today."

"… You're the new pack mule." Usopp stood up, and realized that the bag weighed exactly the same as it had before. He grinned.

"Cool!"

"Hey! You! You with the face!" a voice called out. Usopp and Sanji turned to face a man in a cloak, followed by many similarly dressed figures. "Have you seen a man with a straw hat in this town?" Usopp scratched his cheek as Sogeking spoke up.

'_Hey, Usopp. This guy is powerful, not your average guy. I don't think it's a safe idea to tell him about Luffy. It can't be good when a whole bunch of cloaked people are searching for a high-bounty pirate captain.' _Usopp hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. Sanji opened his mouth to respond.

"Oh, you mean-"

"Sorry, stranger! There are a lot of people wit straw hats in this town! Maybe you should try the main plaza! Everybody passes through there eventually!" the stranger cursed.

"Dammit! Still no sign of him! Where is that flashy bastard?"

"Captain, let's try the execution platform. It's in the main plaza, like the boy said, and it's where HE died…" a cloaked figure spoke. The lead man nodded.

"Yeah… he did say that. Let's try that. Thanks, boy!" he walked away briskly. "The time for my revenge has flashily come!" once they were away, Usopp breathed a sigh of relief. Sanji quirked a curly eyebrow.

"There a reason for cutting me off?" Usopp improvised.

"You don't toss around the fact you're a pirate in a town like this! Even I, the great usopp-sama, know that! I almost got caught many times by the vicious forces of the marines! But by my quick thinking, I always escaped! I laughed as they were out of breath, and said to them, 'this is the day you will all remember as the day you almost caught, CAPTAAAAAAAA-"

"Alright, I get it; keep the pirate-ness on the down-low." Usopp sulked, his monologue cut off. "And the guy said he wanted revenge on Luffy, too, so I guess that's also a good thing."

"I see you two are having fun." Kuro said snarkily as he strolled in, Zoro and Luffy-clone at his side. Usopp waved, his sulk over.

"Oh, Zoro, Kuro, Luffy! How long have you two been together?"

"Just a few minutes. And this isn't the original. This one is thing two." The man said, pointing at Luffy-clone. The water formation shrugged.

"I have no idea where the boss is, but I get the feeling we should get back to him. I'm getting some weird vibes from the weather. Pressure dropping fast, gonna rain any second now." Zoro scratched his cheek.

"So, we find the original?" Usopp blinked.

"Oh, yeah! Luffy! There was a guy here that was looking for you!" Luffy-clone tilted his head.

"Really? Who would know I was here?" Usopp shrugged.

"I don't know. He was wearing a cloak, so I couldn't really see his face. All I saw was something big and red… like a ball." Luffy-clone stiffened.

"Shit! Are you serious! Did he say anything resembling the word, 'flashy'?" Sanji, after a moment's thought, nodded.

"Yeah, he did." Luffy swore.

"Dammit! Zoro, buggy's in town!" Zoro stiffened.

"Are you serious!" the clone tossed his saber to him.

"Zoro, hold on to that! I gotta get this info to the boss!" the clone raced off in the direction of the plaza. Zoro swore.

"Dammit! We gotta hurry!" he chased after the rapidly retreating figure, the rest of the posse hesitantly following.

"What! Marimo-head, who is he!" Sanji shouted as he matched the swordsman's pace.

"He's an old enemy of Luffy's back for revenge! Buggy the clown!" Sanji's eyes widened.

"Shit! If that was him, then we've got to hurry!" the group ran even faster.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"DAAAAAAAAMN!" gold roger whistled as Luffy stood on top of the platform. "I knew that the platform was high, but this view is AMAZING!" Luffy laughed.

"No shit! At least you'll get a good view when you kick it!" roger laughed again.

"You said it! This is incredible! The people look like tiny little ants up here!" gold roger sighed. "Twenty two years ago, I 'died' here! Feels like an out-of-body experience, seeing it 'again'!"

"HEY! YOU UP THERE!" a man with a megaphone shouted. Luffy looked down and smirked.

"Hey, roger, I think some of the ants are talking to us! Think we should lay off the drugs a bit?" gold roger snickered.

"Mm-hm! That's the last time I'm smoking pot!" the two laughed uproariously, ignoring the officer.

"Get down from that platform right now!" the officer shouted. Luffy looked down on him in more ways than one, frowning.

"Oh, come on, cop-man! The view's incredible! Why would I get down?"

"That platform's a historic landmark under the preservation of the world government!" the officer shouted. Gold roger frowned.

"Yet another way the world government screws with us." He muttered.

"So get down from there right now!" the officer continued, unaware of the interruption.

"Oh, come on! I'm not hurting anybody up here! Don't be such a sourpuss!"

"If you don't get down from there, I'll arrest you! I'm coming up there!" a massive iron club swung out of nowhere, smashing the guard to the ground and knocking him unconscious. Gold roger blinked.

"Deus ex machina, anyone?" he quipped.

"You'll have to wait your turn, little man." The woman attached to the mace said to the fallen officer. She looked up at the confused Luffy from under the wide brim of her hat. "I've missed you, Luffy. It's been a while." The sun hit her features. Luffy scratched his head. "Now don't tell me you've forgotten this face."

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAYUUUUUUUUM!" gold roger screamed, wolf-whistling wildly. "OH, BABY! THAT'S WHAT I'M FUCKIN' TALKING ABOUT! C'MON, HONEY, TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT **ALL **OFF!" the rest of the crowd was in similar states of love/lust. Luffy turned to roger, who was still insubstantial.

"Roger, stop being such a perv to a stranger." He refocused on her. "Now, back to the pending question: who the hell are you?" the lady smiled lightly.

"I will never forget. You were the first man to ever strike me." The crowd turned and hissed at the straw hat captain. Luffy shook his head.

"Do I LOOK like a wife-beater? I don't hit hotties. And you still haven't told me who the hell you are!"

"TAKE IT OFF! I GOT THE MONEY, BABY!" gold roger screamed. "DANCE FOR ME!" Luffy punched the air, knocking the pirate king unconscious.

"Now that the peanut gallery's out of the way… answer the question!"

"At the time, your powerful fist…" she continued, rubbing her stomach gently. Her hand sultrily drifted up to her face. "It moved me." The effect was like a shockwave. The crowd drew back, stunned. Luffy whistled.

"Damn, that takes a good blast of haki for me to do that! You got talent, lady!" the woman chuckled and spread her hands.

"My dears, who is the most beautiful woman in all the seas?"

"YOU ARE!" he crowd screamed, pointing at her. Luffy scratched his head, a niggling thought bothering him.

"Now, dammitall if that doesn't sound familiar… where have I heard that before?" he muttered.

"Yes, it is me!" she spread her open hand out. "There is not a man in the world who will not bow to my beauty." Luffy snorted.

"Looks like a good chunk of women in there too. Here's hoping you're bi!" he mimed clinking two beer mugs together and chugging them, grinning all the while.

"The women do not interest me." The mace-woman spoke, and half of the crowd wilted pathetically. "But I do love strong men. You shall be mine, Luffy!"

"Well, that's just peachy! Just tell me who the hell you are!" Luffy shouted.

"You still haven't realized!" the mace-woman screamed.

"Hey, don't look at me! I've got short term memory loss! I can't remember anything past my breakfast!" he shouted back. The mace-woman opened her mouth to respond, but the clatter of guns and the shuffle of feet cut her off.

"This is the police! Ma'am, come along quietly!" the leader shouted, two other law enforcers with him. "For openly assaulting an officer, you are under arrest!" he pointed a Billy club at Luffy. "AND YOU! GET OFF THE DAMN PLATFORM!" he screamed. Luffy merely shot him the bird.

"My, my, who is it that you're going to arrest?" mace-woman said confidently, looking over her shoulder at the officers in a subtle come-hither look. The leader faltered in his speech.

"y-you!"

"My dears, I wonder if you can." She said softly. The policemen gulped nervously. She smiled, blood-red lips letting a light giggle escape. The eyes of the men turned to pink hearts.

"Inspector, I can't! She's too beautiful!" one of the men said dreamily.

"So what if she's beautiful! Arrest her!" the leader shouted, even though he was obviously under her spell.

"She's like a dream!" a cannon sounded in the distance.

"I'M GLAD YOU FEEL THAT WAY!" a shrill voice screamed as the fountain exploded. "BUGGY BOMB SPECIAL!" the top of the fountain shot out of the stone fragments, towards the mace-woman. Luffy jerked forward to act.

"She's going to get hit!" he shouted. The fragment hit the woman square on… and slid off at a wild angle, slamming into the stone wall. He gasped in shock. The instant of action struck a feeling of nostalgia, as if he had seen that exact same thing before. 'Am… am I forgetting the future?'

"Wasn't that a bit dangerous, honey?" the mace-woman said, placing a hand on her cheek. A cloaked man chuckled as he strode forward.

"Flashy apologies. But with that perfectly smooth skin of yours, you're completely unharmed!" Luffy jerked back in shock.

'That's…!'

"No worries, my fair lady Alvida!" Luffy pointed an accusing finger at Alvida.

"I KNEW IT! I knew I had seen you somewhere before! Alvida!" the mace-wielding pirate laughed softly.

"I suppose it's fair to you that you didn't recognize me. I changed a fair bit after I ate a devil fruit. The one you suggested, in fact!" she grabbed the heart-patterned cloak and whisked it off her person, leaving her nothing but a plain white bra covering her torso. "The sube-sube fruit." Gold roger amazingly came to at that point.

"Ugh… my hea- OH BABYYYY! WHY YOU STOPPING THERE! TAKE IT **ALL **OFF! I GOT THE GREEN FOR I-" Luffy quickly knocked him out again with a single punch.

"Shut up roger." He looked around at the crowd, and at the unconscious people. "I think you broke some of the men with that little display." Alvida looked around curiously and saw some of them collapsed in a pool of nasal blood.

"I suppose. Though I'm surprised you suggested this, since I didn't become any more beautiful. The only noticeable change is that my freckles are gone!" Luffy blew a raspberry.

"Are you kidding me, Alvida? Have you looked in the mirror lately? You were the size of a small island before! Now you've got more curves than a race track, and where they're SUPPOSED to be, too!" Alvida drew back, a hurt expression on her face.

"Are you saying I was fat!"

"I'm SAYING, that you probably should have laid off the McGoofy's a little bit!" Luffy retorted. Alvida simmered a bit, before speaking again.

"Regardless, I was reborn. And to find you again, as per your suggestion, I joined forces with this gentleman." Luffy had a flash of memory.

"What, was the circus in town when you were looking for partners? I mean, come on! Pairing up with big, red and juicy?"

"WHOSE NOSE IS BIG RED AND JUICY LIKE A STEAK!" the cloaked figure screamed as he threw off the hood. Buggy the clown threw a knife at Luffy. "DIE A FLASHY DEATH!" Luffy snatched it out of the air an inch from his face, balancing the blade on the tip of his finger.

"Nice make! Alabasta 1943, I think!" Luffy threw it at Alvida's feet. He mimed pulling down a wrestling announcer's mic. "Round two, buggy the clown and straw hat Luffy! FIGHT!"

"YOU'RE AS CHEEKY AS EVER, YOU SMART-MOUTHED LITTLE BASTARD!" the clown pirate screamed. The crowd took a step back out of fear.

"It's buggy the clown!" the pirate!" "THE BUGGY PIRATE CREW!" they screamed and ran in terror. Buggy merely held out his hands.

"Good people of the town! Don't move a flashy muscle!" his lackeys cocked their pistols and aimed them at random civilians. "I will now display my full terror, and you will all be watching!" Luffy scoffed.

"Yeah. I'd like to see what terror you can come up with, steak-nose."

"WHOSE NOSE IS A BIG RED STEAK!" buggy screamed. Luffy settled into a boxing stance.

"c'mon, c'mon, put up your dukes! I'd like to see you hurt me! I'll just phase out, so c'mon, put 'em up, put-" he was violently slammed to the platform, stunned. "w-what the-!"

"Long time no see, straw hat." Cabaji said, sitting on the block of unknown stone.

"Yes, good work, Cabaji! I'd like to see you melt out of pure undiluted seastone, bastard!" Luffy shouted in alarm as he felt his connection with the world fade.

"I… I can't get out… I can't feel my head… my hands…" he slumped limply on the wood. 'Roger! Roger! Help me!' but the pirate king was out cold, knocked unconscious by Luffy's own fist.

"Billions of people of the world!" buggy began extravagantly. "A most super flashy public execution is about to begin!" he leaped up to the execution platform. "You should feel honored, straw hat! You get to die at the same place as the pirate king! BWAHAHAHAHAH! BWAHAHAHA-Bwu-He-Bwu-he! Hohohoho… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dammit, guys! We've got to hurry!" Zoro shouted, leading the way back to Luffy. Luffy-clone put on a burst of speed and caught up to Zoro.

"Well, then don't lead us! Let one of us with a sense of direction be on point!" Zoro glared at the water clone.

"This is no time for jokes!"

"I'M NOT JOKING! WE'VE PASSED THAT SAME STORE FIVE TIMES!" Luffy-clone shouted, pointing at a boutique that sped by.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The clouds rumbled. The sky darkened. The heavens watched. And in a small alley, a single, yellow, beady eye glinted.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Monkey D. Luffy! I sentence you, for the crime of laughing at my misfortune and pissing me off, TO A FLASHY DEATH!" buggy screamed, and his men danced with guns blazing. "Flash it up, men!" bullets rained and gunpowder exploded. Luffy's head rolled limply on the wood. "What's wrong, straw hat? Not excited!"

"Go… to hell…" Luffy slurred, strength leaving his limbs. "My men… will come for me... you ever fought… a merman before? Arlong… will kick your ass…!" buggy flinched.

"Arlong! Saw-tooth Arlong is HERE!" Luffy smirked.

"Yeah… I doubt… he'll be too happy… with this little show… Kuro will be pissed too…"

"AND Kuro of the thousand plans!" buggy shrieked. Luffy smiled. 'He's beginning to realize just who he's trying to decapitate.' "Then I'll make this fast! THE FLASHY EXECUTION SHALL COMMENCE!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Man, the sky's looking terrible right now…" Arlong looked up at the rapidly darkening clouds. "Damn! Gotta get my boys on the Queen fast, before they shut the docks down!" he sprinted forward, Gin running after him. Name looked up at the sky.

'The pressure's dropping so radically… is this a natural storm?'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"**The Feeling's getting worse, Poseidon. Something terrible is about to happen!" **Kronos rubbed his forehead, agitated beyond belief. Poseidon frowned.

"**Yeah, something's going down. I'm getting The Feeling, too." **He frowned. **"There's a storm… a massive one, gathering right over Loguetown. A thunderstorm, I think."** Kronos' eyes widened.

"**A thunderstorm! Are you sure?"** Poseidon looked at him quizzically.

"**Yeah, I think so… why should that-"** his eyes widened in horror. **"Oh mighty seas… you don't think…"**

"**We never found his body… and Luffy is in Loguetown…" **Kronos scowled deeply. **"I supported the boy, and I am the only reason he is getting this chance. He could be so spurred on by his jealousy of my newfound power that he could reveal himself…"**

"**But… how is he still awake? You would have noticed him in the millennia…" **Poseidon faltered.

"**Not if he kept himself quiet, since I wasn't looking because of my weakness. He's been given a chance now, and he's taking it." **Kronos smashed his fist against a table. **"But I'll be damned to Tartarus again if I let that boy die!" **Poseidon looked stricken.

"**Zeus… what have you done, my brother…" **

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Riding the Richie bike~! Who could it be~? Who? Who? Who?" a man wearing a gaudy pink bike helmet riding on top of a lion reached the going merry. "It's me~!" he gave the boat a quick once-over. "So this is the straw hat's boat, eh? It's a lot bigger than the last one! But by now he's probably experiencing captain buggy's 'flashy death sentence'!" a splash of water, and two burly mermen were standing in front of the pirate. Mohji paled considerably. The first cracked his knuckles intimidatingly.

"**Who's** giving the king a 'flashy death sentence?" he growled, pulling out a saber. Richie slumped to the ground, whimpering. Mohji stared with betrayal at his partner, before raising his fists.

"i-i-if it's a fight you want, then you're getting-" an object smashed into the back of his skull, and he slumped forward bonelessly. Gin walked forward and picked up the cannonball he had fired. He picked it up and reattached it to the end of his tonfa. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of his group and grinned.

"And that's only ONE of the upgrades I got!" Arlong whistled and clapped his hands.

"Now, damn if that ain't the coolest thing I've ever seen! A portable handheld cannon!" he became serious and turned to the mermen on shore. "Alright, boys. Get all of the crew and high-tail it to the shipyard. Talk to the dockmaster and pick up a ship called 'Queen of the Sea'. Something tells me we're going to make a quick exit sometime soon."

"How do you know?" name asked suspiciously. Arlong gave her a sharp look.

"Call it a merman's intuition. It's never wrong." He looked up at the clouds. "These clouds… it's a bad omen. Someone upstairs is real pissed off. And when a deity is pissed, everybody suffers."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Buggy… you let me go… and I'll get… my men… to spare you… I'm a man… of my word…" Luffy gasped, the pure seastone starting to affect his ability to breathe. 'Pure seastone… it could shut down a person's heart if exposed long enough… roger, where the hell are you?'

"I'M NOT SAVING YOU, YOU NINNY!" buggy shrieked. Cabaji scoffed, a look of pure contempt on his face.

"This is what you get for making enemies of us." Alvida, on the other hand, was concerned, and it showed.

"Do you think he'll really die like this?" Cabaji gave her a sharp look.

"You knew we were going to kill him when we found him, lady Alvida. Stop acting as if you care about him." Alvida did not voice that she had thought she would've been able to rescue him once she found him.

"So, any last words then?" buggy gloated. "We DO have quite a crowd here!" Luffy could say nothing, what with the foot on his head and the slow shut-down of his lungs. "So, I guess you're speechless! You ARE about to die, after all!" he inhaled several deep breaths.

"I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!" he screamed, his words echoing, ringing across the squares, and in the minds of the horrified onlookers. Buggy cackled with deranged glee.

"Is that all you have to say! Then it's time we ended this, don't you think? You shitty half-and-half!" he raised his blade.

"THIS EXECUTION!" several voices shouted out. Buggy's head jerked to them in shock.

"IS OVER!" they finished. Buggy blinked, gaping in shock.

"A-ANOTHER STRAW HAT!" he screamed hysterically. Luffy-clone smirked.

"Monkey see, monkey do, monkey's made a fool of you!" he looked at the prisoner. "Boss! We're here to bust you out!" Luffy smirked.

"I see you haven't met my clone…" buggy stared at his catch in shock.

"YOUR CLONE!" he screamed. Luffy-clone immediately took charge.

"Zoro, Sanji! Try and bust that platform! Kuro, take my sword! Take out buggy's forces! Usopp, try and snipe buggy off the platform! Protect the original!" he shouted before charging into the fray, tossing his sword to Kuro. He drew the blade, slicing through two clownish pirates.

"A katana, eh… been a while since I've used a regular blade…" he murmured. Alvida waved her hand half-heartedly.

"Go, destroy them for me, my dears!"

"And so we shall, lady Alvida!" the buggy pirates shouted. Kuro, Sanji, Luffy-clone and Zoro blazed through the mob. Buggy cackled.

"HAAHAHAHAH! You're too late! This is the end of your captain!" he raised the blade over his head.

'No! Not yet! I have so much to do…! So many to save…!' Luffy struggled weakly. 'No…' he sucked in a shaky breath. Buggy's blade descended.

"ZORO! SANJI! KURO! USOPP!" he grinned. "Sorry! I screwed up!" the blade touched the bare of his neck…

The world exploded. A bolt of pure lightning arced out of the heavens, striking the high-raised execution platform. The horrified onlookers watched as the plaza was illuminated with a bright, terrifyingly beautiful light. Buggy stood rigor-mortis stiff as the platform began burning with a blue, unreal fire. The metal struts creaked, groaning with pain as slowly but surely, the beams fell to the ground. With a final, agonizing scream, the towering architecture began to topple. Buggy stood like a crucified man, dead to the world. The platform slammed into the ground with an almighty crunch.

The sound of water striking water. The heavens opened up their tears and cried, rain pouring down. A yellow straw hat drifted downwards, pulled along by the winds. A blackened hand reached down and plucked the object from the ground. Straw hat Luffy laughed uncontrollably as he placed his namesake on his head, brushing fragmented pieces of seastone off his vest.

"I don't get it! I'm alive! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The crowd gaped with uncontrollable terror at the man who could walk away from a direct hit from a bolt of lightning unscathed. Alvida, in particular, was especially pale. Kuro turned to Sanji with an unreadable expression.

"It's time like these that I am SURE that someone upstairs doesn't want him dead."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"**He's shown himself!" **Kronos shouted. Poseidon jerked up.

"**Really! Are you sure!"**

"**Surer than I've ever been in my life! There was lightning, and I'll bet my seat it was saturated with Zeus' magic! I'm not sure where it struck yet, let me concentrate!"** he closed his eyes and murmured a few words. His eyes snapped open. **"It struck Luffy!"**

"**WHAT!" **Poseidon screamed.

"**He's still alive, by some incredible stroke of luck! There was a mortal who was trying to execute him, and he was holding him down with pure seastone!" **Poseidon's eyes widened in recognition.

"**Of course…! That would cancel his powers!"**

"**But it would only be able to cancel one of those powers! It would go for the strongest one, the logia fruit…!"**

"**Leaving the fruit with immunity to lightning free to reign." **Kronos finished, chuckling despite himself. **"The boy has the luck of the devil." **He quickly grew serious. **"But that leaves the attempt in the first place. Zeus has tried to kill Luffy. We can assume it is because of his work with us." **Poseidon shook his head.

"**But why would Zeus try to stop the revival of the gods?"**

"**I don't know… but this bodes ill for everyone… mortal and immortal." **Poseidon stood from his lawn chair.

"**Father…" **Kronos nodded.

"**You know what to do. Zeus has ignored the rules. Why should we handicap ourselves against him?"**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"FREEZE! YOU ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED!" a marine shouted as they flooded into the plaza, blocking off any and all exits. The buggy pirates swore collectively and charged into the fray. Luffy whooped as bodies flew towards him.

"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT-" a hand grabbed him by the back of the collar. He struggled a bit before realizing that it was an ally. "Oh, come on, Zoro! You're no fun at all!"

"You idiot! Let's get out of here before we get caught!" Luffy blew an obnoxious raspberry.

"Oh, get real! I could take all of these guys single-handedly!"

"**Lucky for you, you don't have to!" **a booming voice shouted. Luffy jerked his head up in shock.

"What!" the voice sounded like Kronos', but different… the rain falling splattered onto the tiled streets.

"**Nice to meet ya, kid! Don't think you remember me, after all, it WAS a thousand years!" **the voice laughed. The raindrops splattering down suddenly writhed… and where every drop hit, there was a man. Thousands upon thousands of clones filled the plaza. Luffy gaped with growing awe.

"What the hell…!" Zoro breathed. One of the copies turned to Luffy and grinned.

"**Name's Poseidon! Your namesake I believe!" **the clones cracked their knuckles as one. **"Now get out of here, kid! I'll talk to you later!"**

"**Package delivery!" **one of the clones shouted as they tossed an object into the air. Luffy's face split into shock when he realized the object was really Alvida.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed as she plummeted towards Luffy. With a crunch of bones, she plowed him straight into the ground. Poseidon turned and gave the offending clone the bird.

"**Asshole! Why'd you do that!"**

"**Because she was supposed to go with them, remember? Dad told us about that!" **the clone shouted back. Poseidon blinked.

"**Oh, yeah! Forgot about that!" **he grinned jovially as Alvida pulled herself up. Luffy was out cold, swirlies clouding his eyes. He turned to her, a sheepish look on her face. **"You should probably be moving along, little lady! Take Luffy with you, I don't think he's in any condition to move." **He turned to Zoro. **"Zoro. Tell Luffy that I'll meet up with him later to talk about some stuff. We'll hold off the marines." **

"Are you…?" Zoro discretely pointed up towards the sky. Poseidon nodded.

"**Yeah! Of the sea! Now go!" **he pulled a massive trident out of nowhere and skewered a marine through the head. **"Come on, MOVE IT!" **the group jumped and hustled away, Luffy draped unceremoniously over Alvida's shoulder. Poseidon and his clones grinned. **"Now, LET'S GET WILD!"**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What the hell is with this storm!" Zoro cursed as he ran pell-mell through the pouring rain. Kuro shoved his glasses roughly up his nose, the ocular instruments bouncing wildly.

"It's a pain in the ass, is what it is! If we don't hurry, we won't be able to get out of here!" Sanji, of course, was completely oblivious to the conversation as he gushed over the newest addition to the crew.

"ALVIDA-CHWAAAAN! Is it true that you are coming with us!" Alvida nodded brusquely, casting a look at her passenger.

"Yes, thanks to a promise to your captain." Sanji jumped into the air and burst into pink hearts.

"You have graced this unworthy soul with your unending beauty! I shall forever belong to you!" he landed and turned to see where he was going, were he burst into hearts once again. "WHO IS THAT BEAUTIFUL LADY!"

"What happened to forever belonging to me?" Alvida muttered to herself. Zoro looked up at her, mildly interested.

"So, you're Roronoa Zoro, a pirate." Tashigi spoke, her hair hanging over her eyes. "I… you lied to me!"

"WHAAAAAT!" Sanji screamed, whirling on the swordsman. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER!" Zoro stepped forward, confident.

"You never asked my name, that's all. I never lied to you."

"A scoundrel like you with such a magnificent katana! Unforgivable! Your named blade, Wado Ichimonji, shall be confiscated!" she shouted. Zoro smirked and palmed the sheath.

"Just try it." the two drew their respective blades and charged. A clash of steel sounded out.

"You bastard! How dare you attack a woman!" Sanji berated Zoro.

"Stay out of this, pervy-cook!" Zoro shouted. "This is between me and her! This doesn't concern you!" Luffy wriggled out of Alvida's grip.

"Yeah, you can't stop this. Zoro's got a blood feud with her about who she looks like. You'd never be able to stop this, even if you tried." Alvida blinked.

"How long have you been conscious?" Luffy smirked.

"The question is, how long have I been UNconscious?" Alvida, at the connotation, blushed ever so slightly. "But we don't have time for this! Zoro, finish her fast and get moving! We have to catch the ship before it drifts out too far!" Kuro cracked his neck.

"You heard the captain! Let's go!" the group ran away. Usopp hesitated for a moment, staring at the two's interlocked blades.

"Usopp! MOVE IT!" Luffy shouted. The sniper flinched and chased them away. Zoro's grin grew wolf-like.

"Let's go!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"c'mon, hurry up! The harbor's just around the corner!" Luffy shouted. Kuro de-misted his glasses, his eyes narrowing.

"Looks like we're not quite out of this yet." Luffy slowed and stared at the figure blocking heir path. Smoker cracked his knuckles.

"I told you… straw hat Luffy. If you can't beat me, you'll never get to the grand line." Luffy nodded.

"I remember, cop-man. Though I've already proven that I can get a hit in on you, so that should get me some kind of brownie points, right?"

"You enjoy acting stupid."

"Force of habit." Luffy nodded to the rest of the group. "Get going. Try and get on the ship. I'll be there quick." Sanji nodded. The four raced off, leaving the captains in a stare-down.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dammit!" Arlong cursed. "If I had some of my men with me, these guys wouldn't even be giving us trouble!" the firing squad shot off yet another round, the bullets slamming into the Going Merry's hull. Arlong pulled out a set of his teeth. With a flick of his wrist, the calcium projectile slammed into a marine's arm, slamming down. The man screamed and dropped the strange rile he was holding. Gin smirked.

"Time to test my new weapons!" he pulled the cannonball off of his tonfa and flicked a switch Nami hadn't noticed was there. On the back, near his wrist, the end of the tonfa changed from the dull black to a dark blue. Gin whirled them around and pointed the open ends at the marines. "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIENDS!" he pulled the triggers, and bullets flew out rapid-fire. The marines didn't stand a chance as they were mercilessly moved down. Gin kissed the smoking ends. "Ahh, I love these things! So much better than my old ones!" along gaped at Gin.

"DUDE! That is AWESOME! It can do that!" Gin nodded, a wide smile on his face.

"Yep! Got a rotating cylinder in here, with different weapons in each cylinder! I think this model has four… though I'm not quite sure." Arlong was silent as he clapped gin on the shoulder.

"You, my dear pirate, are my new best friend." Gin laughed.

"Okay, then! If you say so!" Nami frowned and shook her head. Arlong looked over the side and frowned.

"Nami-san. We should cast off. The water's getting worse. If we don't pull anchor now, we're going to be pulled apart by the current."

"Are you saying we should leave Luffy and the others behind!" Nami shouted. Arlong shrugged.

"Take it how you want, I want to save the ship. Luffy can easily catch up with us, what with his control over water. It hurts nobody if we set out now." Nami didn't like it, but his logic made sense. With an angry huff, she ran inside and flipped a switch. The anchor slowly dragged itself out of the water.

"Fine!" she shouted.

"NAMI-SWAAAAN!" a voice shouted. Nami ran out, to see the well-dressed cook running alongside the ship.

"Sanji-kun!" she shouted.

"Nami-san, I'm back~!" he gushed. Alvida slid along the ground, flip-flop-less, and leaped onto the ship easy as you please.

"Who's she!" Nami shouted, pointing at Alvida.

"Nami-swan, meet Alvida-chwan! She's joined us now!" Sanji gushed. Kuro nodded.

"It's true. She apparently had a promise with the captain to join up with us later. She just found us here now." Arlong looked at her, an eyebrow arched.

"Alvida? 'iron mace' Alvida?" she nodded. He bowed extravagantly. "Saw-tooth Arlong, at your service."

"Sanji! What about Luffy and Zoro!" Nami shouted. Sanji sobered up immediately.

"Those two louts can handle themselves!" Luffy-clone caught up to them, having fallen behind. "You! Where have you been!"

"I got lost in the fighting! Then I had to find a way around me and Smokey fighting!" he shouted, waving his hand. A watery staircase rose from the choppy sea, and the crew ran over it to the ship. "Zoro's done fighting, and now he's in a shouting match with Tashigi!"

"That idiot…" Nami grumbled.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy laughed a short laugh. "Smokey. You think you'll be able to beat me?"

"I KNOW I can beat you." He answered confidently. Luffy shook his head.

"I beg to differ. You see, before, I was handicapped. We had all the civilians around, and that limited my fighting. And…" he held out his hand, catching water in it. "It's raining. I'm at my strongest when it's raining." He waved his hand around, and a brilliant aquamarine sword formed. Smoker choked on his spit.

"What the!" Luffy smirked.

"You've never seen someone who's eaten TWO devil fruits, have you, Smokey?" he settled into a flexible swordfighting stance. "You can't beat me. With the power of the gomu gomu fruit and the mizu mizu fruit, I will become the pirate king!" smoker recovered, though still visibly shocked, and growled.

"You'll eat those words, brat!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Poseidon straightened himself out, surveying the damage he had done. **"That should be the last of them." **With a wave of his hand, the rest of his clones dispersed. He walked casually over to the remainder of buggy's pirates. The captain growled.

"What the hell are you!"

"**I am nobody to be trifled with. That is all you ever need know." **He began walking away.

"Where did straw hat go with Alvida!" buggy shouted at his retreating back. Poseidon looked over and shrugged.

"**I dunno. Probably took her with him." **And with that, he disappeared. Buggy swore and stood.

"We're going to the grand line, boys! We've got to rescue Alvida from the straw hat bastard!"

"YEAH!" the pirates shouted. Buggy ran forward like a man with a purpose.

"Just you wait, you flashy bastard. I'll rescue Alvida from your clutches if it's that last thing I do!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Smoker slammed Luffy to the ground, panting heavily. Luffy struggled in vain, desperate to get out of his grip. 'Shit! Where the hell is roger! I can't cancel his powers without him!'

"You're a tough bastard, Monkey D. Luffy." Smoker panted, his breath mixing with the smoke from the smoldering cigars. "But an easy kill. You're a jack of all trades, but a master of none. That will get you killed in the grand line." Luffy struggled even more. "This head is worth fifty million, eh? Looks like my dry streak is over." He reached up to grab the seastone jute attached to his back.

A hand snatched the handle. "Well, I wouldn't say that exactly." A voice spoke. Luffy's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. 'Dad!'

"And you are?" smoker growled. Dragon merely smirked as lightning lit his face. "You…!"

"Hey, there, stranger! Where have you been all my life?" Luffy laughed while his face was still shoved into the ground.

"Saving the world. You know who I am?" dragon looked with surprise at Luffy.

"I know your name and what you are to me! So, nice to finally meet you!" Luffy smirked. Smoker scowled even deeper.

"The government wants your head."

"The world is waiting for our answer!" dragon responded. He breathed…

And a massive wind appeared out of nowhere, gusting through everything and everyone in Loguetown. A cyclone formed in the middle of the plaza, sucking up the downed marines. Luffy screamed as he was violently blown away, flying through the air. Zoro shouted with surprise as he was sucked away from his stand-off with the marine lieutenant, soaring towards the harbor. Nami screamed in fear as she barely held on to the rail. With a final shriek, her grip failed. She flew backwards, only to slam into a rock-like wall. Arlong picked her up from his chest and set her down, immovable in the gale.

"Stay there, Nami-san! I doubt the captain would like it if you were lost!" Arlong smirked. Nami growled and jerked her hand away.

"I don't need help from you!" she turned and stalked away, the burst of wind having died down. Arlong sighed.

"God, this is going to be harder than I thought…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

With a violent crunch, Luffy slammed into the tiled stones. "What the hell wa-AAAUGH!" he gurgled as Zoro landed on him, ending the sentence rather violently. "Gerroff me!" Luffy growled as he pushed the first mate off him. "God, that hurt! You know you have a really bony butt?"

"Stop talking about my butt! We've gotta catch the ship!" Zoro pointed out to the rapidly disappearing ship. "It's already out to sea!"

"I AM the sea!" Luffy shouted, hoisting Zoro over his shoulder roughly. "Hang on!"

"GUAAH!" Zoro shouted. Luffy grinned and waved his hand over the water, instantly becoming calm. He set a confident foot onto it, running across to the ship. With a final leap, he jumped over the rail of the Going Merry and threw Zoro to the planks. "Sack o' potatoes! Sack o' potatoes for sale, five beli a pound!"

"Expensive potatoes you got there!" gin laughed, the 'sack of potatoes' simmering at the ridicule.

"You bet! Home grown, they are!" Luffy laughed.

"Shut up…"

"Luffy!" Nami shouted, running out. "You got on!" he nodded, twirling his hat on his finger.

"Of course I got on! I can catch anything in the sea!"

"We're gonna sink!" Usopp shouted. Kuro shoved his glasses up.

"Doubtful. Luffy wouldn't allow it." Yet another ship, much bigger than their own, started out. "And he wouldn't allow the mermen's ship to sink, either."

"They wouldn't sink anyway! With a good map, my boys could get through the biggest storm in the world without a single scratch!" Nami glared at him. Arlong deflated. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, Nami-san."

"Look! There's a light out there!" Sanji shouted. Arlong and Gin looked at the swiveling light with equal amounts of wistfulness and trepidation.

"The grand line guiding light. That's our guide to the entrance." Luffy smiled a small smile.

'And so it begins again…' he picked up his foot and placed it on a barrel. CLUNK! "To become king of the pirates!"

CLUNK! "To be the world's greatest swordsman!"

CLUNK! "To draw a map of the world!"

CLUNK! "To find all blue!"

CLUNK! "To find peace and serenity."

CLUNK! "To protect the king!"

"I-I…" CLUNK! "To become a brave warrior of the sea!" Luffy looked over at gin. The last crewmember smiled and placed his foot on the barrel.

CLUNK! "To find Raftel!" the crew lifted their feet as one.

"LET'S GO! TO THE GRAND LINE!" SMASH!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So… straw hat has escaped." In a small, underused alley, a man lowered a telescope. "He has made it to the grand line. He has talent… and many secrets. Like who that man born of raindrops is… and why Dragon helped him." He stood, ever so slowly. "That boy has intrigued one's senses. And then there is the fact that the boy has _his _necklace." He smiled, an ominous and chilling sight. "Yes… one is interested in you, straw hat Luffy… Very interested. Perhaps it is time one visited the grand line again…" he slid into the shadows of the alley… and was gone.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

And, done! Wow, I finished the Loguetown arc! And in three chapters, too! I find that immensely impressive!

Thank you everyone who put up with my little bitch-fest before, but I was seriously pissed off at that guy. Its people like him who give anonymous reviewing a bad name. I hope this extra-long chapter helps make up the fact!

And now… announcements!

I would like to throw this out there right now. I am using one of the Japanese filler arcs. 'Dodges knives and beer bottles' I'm not using it for the filler! After all, I've got a hell of a lot to catch up to, so I don't need it for that! I'm using it, because I've got a perfectly legitimate way to incorporate it into this story's overlying plotline! (Kronos, the gods and all that jazz) don't get mad at me; this will not be a regular occurrence. I only have two of these filler-into-story-arcs happening; the other will not be happening until after Alabasta. So, yeah. Just want to get that out there! Sorry, guys!

Once again, thank you for putting up with my rant against OP-fan188989 before! Five reviews gets me started on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	21. Beach Bums, Sea Kings And Mystery Girls

Hello, hello, hello! I hope you know who this is, otherwise you're in the wrong story!

Alright, in regards to the anonymous reviews thing: I've decided, not to ban them, purely because he-whose-name-shall-not-be-said seems to thrive off of the attention given to him. Making other people suffer for what he enjoys would just be icing on the cake for him. So, I've decided to just delete all of the reviews sent by him. Out of sight, out of mind, eh? So everybody, just, don't talk about him at all, ever again! It works with elementary school bullies, it'll work with someone who ACTS like one! Just, give him no attention, and he'll wither away!

And a final parting comment to man-with-no-name, before he is forever forgotten: you remind me of a story that I was told by an acquaintance.

"I was in eighth grade, and there was this kid, with a hot girl. I wanted her, so you know what I did? I took his girl! Then, every day on the playground, he would come up to me and say, 'well, I say you're a nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger nigger!' the kid would not shut up, for days on end! Well, until I fuckin' knocked his lights out!"

See who you are?

And I am going to anxiously wait for the day where your smart-ass comments get your heart ripped out and fed to you. And you know what? When that happens, I'm going to laugh my ass off! Because I know that you're going to mouth off to someone who isn't so appreciative, and they're going to fuckin' _murder _you! And I'm going to point to you and say, "I called it! I called it, and you didn't believe me!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Disclaimer: doing this every chapter is getting pretty depressing…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Why is this taking so looooong!" Luffy whined as he hung upside down from the ship's head. Zoro yawned, Sanji gushed over Alvida, Alvida gave moony eyes at Luffy while tanning, Kuro people-watched, and Arlong played Mumblypeg with Gin. Nami frowned and swatted at Luffy's feet.

"It's only been one day! The grand line is still a few days off!"

"But…" Luffy stopped. 'After all, I can't really say that we got there during the storm in the future, can I?'

'_Open mouth, insert foot much?' _gold roger quipped. Luffy would have leaped up a good foot in the air, if he wasn't hanging upside down.

'Roger! Where the hell have you been! You nearly got me killed in loguetown when you didn't show up!'

'_Don't ask me. You knocked me out while on Pervy Power!' _Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

''Pervy power'? Is this some kind of joke, roger?'

'_No, no, think about it! Sanji is one of the original Monster Three, right? Yet he's always sporting a bruise from Nami when he gets frisky! Why is that?' _Luffy opened his mouth, yet stopped.

'y'know… that's a good question!'

'_Because when men are on Pervy Power, women can attack the _soul _of a guy! Go straight for the jugular, they do!' _Luffy snorted as a vision born of boredom and the conversation drifted through his mind. Sanji, in a small red cape, leaped up in the air.

"Da-da-da-DA! Da-DAHH! Pervy POWER!" dream-Sanji shouted. Luffy and gold roger stifled ill-concealed laughter.

'_That's some of the most messed up stuff I have ever…' _he trailed off. _'Did you hear that?'_

'Hear what?'

'_Hear somebody calling us.' _Luffy looked around.

'Us? As in, straw hat, us, or you and me, us?'

'_You and me, us. It sounded like…it's saying for us to go in the water.' _Luffy shrugged.

'Whatever floats your boat!' he uncrossed his legs, and he broke the surface of the water without a sound. He looked about in the clear water. "Now, where's out mystery man…"

"**Right here." **Poseidon swirled into existence behind Luffy. He gave out an undignified yelp as he whirled about.

"God! Don't do that!" Poseidon laughed.

"**Sorry. It's a habit."**

"So, what do you want with us?" gold roger asked as he materialized.

"And more importantly, how are you here? I thought Kronos was the only god!" Poseidon chuckled.

"**My friend, you are sadly mistaken if you think that there is only one god. He'd be so hard-pressed to manage every single aspect of the world, he would never have time to himself!" **he stretched, yawning. **"And as to your second question, dad woke me up. Though, if I had to thank someone, I would thank you!" **

"Me! How could I wake a god!" Luffy pointed at himself.

"**You were able to get lots of followers for dad. An entire village, I believe. That was enough power for him to give me a jumpstart! Now, I'm kind of leeching off of his power until I can get some believers of my own!" **

"Cocoyashi village… of course…" Luffy murmured. He blinked. "Wait, dad? Kronos is your dad!" Poseidon laughed.

"Yep! He's my dad!"

"How long have you been awake?" gold roger ducked into the water, swimming back up again.

"**Oh, since about Loguetown, I believe." **His face grew dark. **"Which reminds me. There's something I should tell you guys. Luffy, you know the thunderbolt that saved you from your execution by buggy?"**

"Yeah. That happened before, too. What about it?"

"**Well, we can't be sure about the first time, since dad wasn't up and running enough to pay attention to the world, but the second time was an assassination attempt on you." **

"Eeeh!" Luffy screamed.

"But who would try and kill him! And who could do it with LIGHTNING, for god's sake?" Poseidon rubbed his brow.

"**My brother, Zeus, curse him to Tartarus. He is the god of the sky, and the third king of the gods, after he dethroned dad, chopped him into mincemeat and threw him into hell." **Gold roger whistled.

"Wow. One hell of a family you have."

"**You haven't seen the half of it. Anyways, we have no clue at all how he's still alive, since he supposedly fell, along with the rest of us, in The Downfall. We also have no idea how strong he is right now, so keep your guard up. In the meantime, Luffy, try and get more followers, so that we can jumpstart more of the gods."**

"Are they all related to you guys?" Luffy asked. Poseidon tapped his chin.

"**Uhh… I think so, more or less. Our family tree is… REALLY weird. Though, more or less, we're all related." **Luffy decided to give into his curiosity.

"How weird?" Poseidon chuckled.

"**It would make your brain melt just thinking about it, in mortal terms."**

"Try me."

"**Well, mom was created out of chaos, then impregnated herself to give birth to Oranos, the earth and Pontus."** Luffy blinked. 'That's… slightly impossible…'** "Then, Oranos got frisky and started having kids with her-"**

"WHOA!" Luffy shrieked, his face going a pasty white. "This ora-guy had kids with his MOM!" gold roger looked fairly green in the face. "How screwed up IS that guy!"

"**Well, it's wrong only in morals, and in mortal terms. You don't know god genetics."**

"Do I even WANT to know after hearing that!"

"**It'll help with the disgust!" **Poseidon offered. Luffy crossed his arms. **"You know how when parents have a kid, they give their genes to the kid? Like, if the mom is X and the dad is Y, then the kid is XY?"**

"Yeah…"

"**Well, when gods have kids, it's a whole different story. If the mom is X and the dad is Y… then the kid is Z."**

"...I'm not going to even think about the logistics of that."

"**But seriously, how do you think we get so many different gods if that didn't happen? And that's not even the beginning! Sometimes, the mom, who was originally X, spontaneously becomes, I dunno, H or something, maybe P."**

"… Do I even WANT to know?"

"**Probably not. ANYWAYS! Oranos got frisky with her, and she had a crapload of kids with him, a good chunk of them monsters. There were also the titans, which dad is one of. Mom gave birth to these-"**

"Wait, MOM! And Kronos is your dad! Then-" Poseidon waved his hands wildly.

"**Oh, nononononono! No, they didn't get it on! She's just the mother of all of the gods, since she more or less gave birth to all of us indirectly, so we call her 'mom' as a general rule of thumb! Kronos actually IS her son, but more on that later. MOVING ON! Mom gave birth to these three monsters-"**

"Why do you call them monsters? I mean, if they're born of gods, them aren't they gods too?" Luffy interrupted. Poseidon cast him a sharp look.

"**Do you want me to tell the story or not?"**

"I just want to know!" Poseidon sighed.

"**Fine. We call them monsters because, well, they generally are. They come out… well, REALLY freaky. These three were called the hecatonchires, and they had one-hundred hands and fifty heads. See what I mean by monsters?" **gold roger's eyes bugged out.

"Fifty heads! And a hundred arms! Is that even possible!"

"**It is when you're a god. Anyways, Oranos was creeped out by them, so he threw them into Tartarus, the lowest pit of hell there is. Of course, Tartarus is 'inside' mom, since she's more or less the earth, so it was basically the same as shoving them back in the womb as soon as they came out." **Luffy winced.

"OUCH! That's gotta hurt!" Poseidon nodded.

"**No kidding. She had put up with him long enough and that was the final straw. She made a sickle out of… was is stone or metal? I can't remember…" **he tapped his chin, before he shrugged. **"Ah, well. Serves the same purposes. She made the sickle, and asked which of her children, the titans, would do the honors."**

"Honors?" Luffy asked. "Honors of what?" Poseidon grinned bloodily.

"**Why, the honor of cutting off Oranos' balls, of course!" **Luffy and gold roger's hands immediately went to their crotches, as if protecting them from the talked-about sickle.

"Oh my god! That's horrible!"

"**Try getting raped every night by your own son; see how charitable it makes you. Well, nobody was gutsy enough, until dad, the youngest of the titans, took the job."**

"You mean Kronos cut off his dad's junk? Because his mom asked him to!" gold roger shouted, confused.

"**Louder doesn't mean we understand you better, roger. Yes, he did cut off Oranos' balls. You don't understand the kind of devotion to Gaia Kronos has. If she asked him to jump off a cliff while not immortal, he would do it without hesitation. Anyways, he cut off the balls, and threw them into the sea, so that Oranos couldn't find them and put them back on. The balls hit the water, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love was born." **Luffy snorted involuntarily.

"So, you're saying that the goddess of love can be created out of a god's severed junk?" Poseidon smirked.

"**Yeah, we're crazy like that. Anyways, Gaia, as thanks to Kronos, gave him control over the titans, just like Oranos was. Oranos was pissed. He did a prediction that a son of his would overthrow him, just like Kronos overthrew him. That son turned out to be Zeus." **Luffy's eyebrows shot up.

"You're shitting me…"

"**I shit you not. There's a crapload more, but I don't think you really need to know our family history all that well. Anything else before I destroy this avatar?"**

"Avatar?" Poseidon cracked his neck.

"**What, you thought this was my real body? Naw, this is a creation of mine! All of the elemental gods can create avatars for earth fun; the rest usually possess someone. We used to have real bodies here, but we lost them." **His eyes widened, and he snapped his fingers. **"That's right! I forgot one thing!"**

"What's that?" gold roger asked, flicking little air pockets lazily.

"**If you find any of our bodies here on earth, let us know right away! They'll give us a power boost like you would not believe!" **gold roger arched an eyebrow.

"What, you don't know where they are?"

"**No! We had to become separate from them, become insubstantial to handle all of our power, otherwise we would have imploded! We left our bodies here to keep us alive. They're in a coma, per say."**

"How do we know they're your bodies? We can't exactly go digging through all the graveyards in the world looking for them, you know." Poseidon laughed.

"**Now, THAT, you won't have a problem with. Our bodies aren't exactly inconspicuous. They've probably adapted to the environment to hide themselves, hiding in our natural elements! Mine's probably hidden underwater somewhere, mom's is probably some sort of mountain range, and so forth." **Luffy gaped.

"Wait, you guys are so big that your bodies can be mountain ranges!" Poseidon laughed yet again.

"**Like I said, not exactly inconspicuous! That being said, is there anything else you need before I'm gone?" **Luffy shook his head, before jerking his head down.

"No- wait! There is something!" he scrabbled with his belt, before pulling out the saber at his side. "This did something really freaky at the sword shop in Loguetown, when the demon in Zoro's sword tried to cheat! These little wispy things came out, and there was chanting, and chains appeared around Zoro's sword…" Poseidon's eyes widened.

"**What! Are you sure!" **Luffy nodded. The god leaned forward eagerly. **"The chanting, what did it say? Did it keep repeating, 'hasshoudou' over and over?" **Luffy jerked back in shock.

"Yeah! How did you know?" the king of the sea snatched the sword out of Luffy's grip and unsheathed it, staring at it in wonder.

"**Incredible… after all this time, it's still survived…" **

"Sounds like that isn't your regular blade." Roger commented. Poseidon broke from his reverie and nodded.

"**You'd be right. This is an ancient blade, aptly called Hasshoudou. It was created by holy monks, under the combined guidance of Gaia and Hephaestus, god of the forge. Sealed inside of it are eight holy will-o'-the-wisps, designed for the sole purpose of demon hunting. It was sprinkled with the essence of a star, so it will never dull, and never break. I thought we had lost it…" **Luffy stared at the blade, sparkles in his eyes.

"A-awesome… such a cool sword…"

"A thing like that, made by the gods? Doesn't look like much…" gold roger stared at the naked steel. "Would've thought it'd be a lot more… I don't know, impressive?"

"**The monks were very chaste. Hey did not want to seem grand and spendy in the eyes of their gods." **Poseidon shrugged and handed the blade back. **"I don't know where you got that blade, but for the love of the gods, don't lose it! It's one of a kind!"**

"Yeah… but why would a mountain bandit like Higuma the bear have such a rare sword as this?" Luffy resheathed Hasshoudou. "Thank you, Poseidon. You've been more than helpful. Though I have to say, you're a lot more relaxed than Kronos." Poseidon gave him a two-finger salute.

"**Don't mention it, kid. And what can I say? I'm a beach bum at heart!" **and with those final words, Poseidon dissolved into a spray of mist. Luffy looked at roger. Roger shrugged.

"What? Gods can be eccentric too, can't they?"

"I dunno… a beach bum god? A little edgy, if you ask me." Gold roger melted away as Luffy shot upwards. He sprang onto the deck of the ship and grinned. "I'm back! What'd I miss?"

"You were gone?" Arlong asked as he lazily tossed a throwing dagger at gin's foot. The knife missed and scraped past the man's crotch. He yelped.

"Watch it! I didn't ruin your ship yet!" Arlong blinked.

"Oops! Sorry, my aim slipped!"

"My aim'll slip on your face!" gin roared as he pulled out his tonfa, swinging them wildly at Arlong. The merman laughed as he ran around the ship as Luffy whooped.

"Looks like I showed up at the right time! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FI-" THWACK!

"Can't you calm down at all!" Nami shouted as Luffy nursed the new bruise on his head. Alvida pulled out her mace and pointed it threateningly at Nami.

"Don't touch Luffy, or you'll get more than just a bruise!" Nami blinked and scowled at the newcomer.

"What? It doesn't hurt him! He's made out of rubber!"

"Oweee… that hurt…" Luffy whined. Alvida gave Nami a sharp look.

"What was that you were saying? Stay away from my Luffy, or I'll kick your ass, navigator or not!"

"Alvida-chwan is so beautiful when she's forceful~~!"

"FINE! You navigate the ship! I'm done!" Nami threw her arms up in the air and stormed away. Luffy stared after her, confused.

"Did I miss something?" Alvida stood and draped herself over Luffy.

"Never mind her… captain. Are you hungry? I could get Sanji to make you some food… some _tasty _food…" Luffy perked up immediately.

"YEAH!" Alvida smirked and clapped. The 'pervy-cook' snapped to attention.

"Sanji!"

"Yes, Alvida-chwaaan!"

"Make Luffy some food! The best you can!" Sanji noodle-wiggled away, hearts streaming out his head. "There you go, Luffy-_kun…_" Alvida purred, tracing a circle on his chest. "Anything else you might need that I can… _help _you with?"

"Psst!" gold roger hissed, soft enough so that only Luffy could hear. Luffy jerked out of Alvida's grip, casting her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I just remembered I had an idea for Usopp! I'll go get it from my room!" he ran into the captain's quarters, closing the door behind him. "Okay, roger, what's up?" roger materialized, a massive blush on his face.

"Do you even REALIZE what she was trying to do to you?" Luffy tiled his head to the side.

"What? She was doing something to me?" gold roger shifted his pants.

"God, of all the people for all the hot chicks to fall for, it has to be the guy with absolutely no libido!" Luffy could practically feel the question mark form above his head.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean? Speak English, roger!" roger sighed.

"Never mind. You don't get it. Just… if she asks you to go to a secluded place, if you value your innocence, DO NOT GO! Now, get out of here, I've got to take care of a… _problem._" Luffy arched an eyebrow.

"What kind of problem would a dead guy have? And why the hell are you ordering me out of my room, on my ship?"

"Just get out!" roger shouted.

"Okay, okay, sheesh! Touchy…" Luffy slammed the door shut behind him. Sanji walked out of the kitchen, balancing multiple plates on various assorted appendages.

"Oi, Luffy. Your food." Luffy looked at it and blinked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that… I, uh, wasn't really all that hungry in the first place, could you, I dunno, put it in the fridge or something?" Sanji bristled.

"So you made me waste food for nothing!"

"Hey, I didn't make the suggestion, Alvida did! I know you don't like wasting food, but I'll eat it later!" Sanji, still fuming, stomped back into the kitchen. Luffy scratched his head. "Jeez, everybody's on pins and needles today…" he walked out onto the figurehead of the going merry, sitting Indian-style on her head. "You're not angry, are you merry?"

"_No, I am quite content today. The sea is calm, not at all like the storm yesterday." _Luffy sighed.

"That's good…" he closed his eyes, and took a nap.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"…ffy! Luffy! Wake up! Wake up Luffy!" he jostled around roughly as the voice shouted. "Luffy, get up!" the captain snapped an eye open and stared at the offender.

"This better be good, Gin. I was having a good dream." Gin shrugged.

"Sorry. It's just, there's a marine ship closing in." Luffy jerked up.

"What! How? We haven't even painted our flag yet! How could they know we're pirates!" gin shrugged.

"Well, they're getting closer to us, but they're not coming AT us, per say. They seem to be heading for a large flock of seagulls." Luffy stood and peered out across the expanse of ocean. Sure enough, there was an entire fleet of marine ships bearing down on a flock of seagulls.

"There's not a seagull in the world interesting enough to attract a marine fleet… and marines flock around flotsam…" Luffy muttered. "Mizu Mizu sonar." He muttered as he closed his eyes, and stomped on the deck. A circular pulse of water shot out from the ship. Luffy opened his eyes. "They're flocking around something in the water! A lifeboat!" he waved his hands, and a waved rolled into existence. It caught the rowboat and flowed it into the side of the going merry. Luffy leaped down into it and stared at the contents. Gin looked over the rail and gaped.

"It's a girl!" Luffy threw the unconscious girl over his shoulder and leaped back up onto the ship. "Maybe it's a mermaid!" Gin laughed. Arlong gave gin a sharp look.

"Earth to Gin, how the hell does she look like me? Where's the tail?" Luffy ignored the two and paced to the deck.

"Get Sanji to get the food I didn't eat. This girl looks like she could use a good meal. Get him to clear out a bed in the kitchen too." He frowned, and snapped his fingers. "Arlong!"

"Yes, captain?" the merman said as he ran to his side.

"Swim to the Queen and alert your boys. Tell them to tack full sail to reverse mountain, then to wait for us at the entrance. Don't get near enough to be pulled into the current, but close enough to pull out once we get there. Once that's done, swim back. We're going to try and get rid of these marines." Arlong nodded.

"Yes, sir!" he leaped over the side and was gone. The straw hat captain paced quickly into the kitchen and laid the girl out on a cot. He straightened out as he quickly looked around. "Where's Nami?"

"I don't know. I'd try the women's quarters!" Zoro responded as he ran back out. Luffy swung around the door and pushed open the door. Nami jerked up, an annoyed scowl on her face.

"What!" she snarled. Luffy scowled at her.

"We've got marines, so stop being pissy at whatever you're ticked off about and get out here." Nami dropped the pen she was holding as she stood.

"Really!" she ran out and leaned over the rail. Her face dropped all color. "What's a fleet of that size doing out here!"

"I have an idea. They were bearing down on a lifeboat with a girl in it. We've picked up the girl, so they'll probably hunt us now. Whoever she is, she's got somebody high up interested." The lead ship fired a triplet of cannons, the iron balls landing near the ship.

"Sailors! Return the girl! Those were your warning shots! The next will not miss!" a man, presumably the captain, shouted across the water. Luffy looked at Usopp, the sniper trembling in his boots.

"Usopp. Did you get paint in Loguetown?" Usopp looked at Luffy.

"Uh… yeah, but-"

"Give them to me!" Luffy ordered. Usopp reached into his shoulder bag and pulled out three cans of different colored paint. Luffy raised an eyebrow. "That bag's deeper than it looks."

"What're you going to do with them?" gin asked as Luffy pried the tops off. He grinned.

"I'm running up the colors!" he closed his eyes, and breathed. 'Concentrate… form the image in the mind's eye…' Luffy thought, an image of the straw hat Jolly Roger forming in front of him. 'Concentrate… concentrate…'

"wow." Alvida gasped. Luffy opened his eyes and smirked.

"Mission, success." Emblazoned on the white sails, was the straw hat emblem, exactly as he remembered it. "Let them know EXACTLY where we stand. Gin, get me a cannonball." Gin ran into the hold, returning quickly with the said cannonball. Luffy picked it up and swallowed it.

"HUH!" Alvida screamed, having turned around to witness the swallowing. Luffy flexed his arm, and it hollowed itself out.

"Mizu Mizu BOMBER!" he shouted as the impromptu cannon fired. The mast on the second-leading ship toppled, crippling the ship. Luffy sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Not bad for my first aim!"

"What the hell was that!" Arlong shouted as he pulled himself over the rail. Luffy flicked his cannon-arm, and it returned to normal.

"That would be me. Letting them know we mean business." Arlong shook his head ruefully.

"I don't want to know." He stared at the distant crippled ship. "But nice aim. That's going to cost them a pretty penny to fix…"

"Like they're going to stop to fix it!" the triplet of cannons fired again. Luffy stomped the ship, and massive hands reached out of the sea. The water hands snatched the iron destroyers and threw them like a baseball at the marine fleet. They all missed the lead ship, but three other ships were effectively crippled. "And it's a triple play!"

"idiot." Sanji muttered. Luffy cocked his head, frowning.

"There's a wind coming… to the south. Huge. Get the sails ready! We'll ride it out of the marine's range!" the crew stood around, doing nothing. "What are you waiting for, Christmas! GET TO IT!" the group leaped up before rushing off. Nami, frowning, walked to Luffy's side.

"How do you know there's a wind coming?" Luffy merely licked his finger and held it up in the air.

"There's moisture hanging in the air. I can feel the wind coming." A single cannon fired from the marines. Luffy lifted his foot to 'catch' it…

…before a gust of wind filled the sails, jerking the Going Merry harmlessly out of the weapon's trajectory. The captain laughed and pumped his fist.

"Who called it! Who! Me! I called it!" Usopp ran to the stern, staring back.

"Haha! We're losing them! They can't catch up! We're getting away!" Luffy smirked.

"Well! Now that we've got that mess out of the way, let's see if our little houseguest is awake yet!" he pushed open the door to the kitchen and tromped over to the bedside. "She's still not awake yet?"

"She hasn't moved once." Sanji took a drag on his cigarette.

"Not once? Not even to breathe, or anything?" Luffy poked her forehead. "Is she dead or something?" Sanji smashed his foot down on Luffy's head.

"Don't disrespect a lady like that!" Luffy puffed his straw hat back to its original position, completely unharmed.

"Oi, oi! Don't touch the hat, or I'll kick your ass!"

"Is she awake?" Nami asked as she strolled in, the rest of the crew riding on her heels. Luffy shook his head. "Well, when she does, we've got some questions for her!"

"Like why she's got an entire fleet of marines on her tail." Kuro pushed his glasses up his nose. "Even back in my heyday, I never had such numbers hounding me."

"And why she's got such weird clothes!" Gin piped up. Nami gave him a sharp look, and he withered. "What? I've never seen a hat like that…"

"I don't think her state of attire is a real concern right now." Kuro leaned over the girl. She murmured and sat up suddenly, beaning him right in the nose. Kuro yelped painfully and fell backwards, nursing his nose and his pride. "AGH! My glasses!"

"OUCH!" she cried, rubbing her head. Luffy laughed uproariously.

"Well, that's one hell of a wake-up call! I like your style, kid!" Kuro was rolling around on the floor, trying not to cry out girlishly.

"You hurt anywhere?" Nami asked, looking up from her newspaper.

"I'll bet you're hungry. I'm reheating some stuff that an idiot didn't even touch." Sanji added as he flipped a skillet.

"Hey, I wasn't in charge of that! And you're the one who gave in to Alvida on that!"

"I'll give in to anything for Alvida-chwaaaaan!"

"Not going to even comment on how many ways that sounded wrong." Arlong muttered. "So, what's your name, kid?" the girl turned to him, only to freeze and turn an ugly shade of purple. "What'sa matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"FISHMAN!" she screamed shrilly. Arlong's face turned dark as he took a slow step forward.

"You want to repeat that, human?" Luffy stuck out a hand, blocking his progression.

"Arlong, drop it. It's not worth it." Arlong stepped back, but fumed silently. Luffy turned a critical eye on the girl. "And you!" she shrank down into the blanket, hiding from his gaze. "I don't tolerate racists on my ship. You say anything like that again, and I'm booting you off, to hell with the marines chasing you."

"WHAT! They found me!" she screamed.

"Yes, they did. Why were they chasing you?" she turned away, a stubborn pout on her face. "Fine, then. Not going to tell us, eh? Got something to hide?" Nami smashed the captain over the head with her fist.

"Stop pestering her! She's tired, and hungry, and surrounded by strangers, of course she's not going to tell us!"

"Owowowowowowoww…" Luffy moaned as he nursed his wounded pride. "But I have a responsibility as captain! If she's getting marines on our tail, then I want to know the hell why!" Nami raised her fist again, and he crumpled. "Stingy Nami…"

"You don't even know the meaning of responsibility!" ("Meanie…") Nami turned to the girl and smiled. "Ignore the idiot there. What's your name?" the girl turned away, clutching the blanket tighter.

"When you ask someone's name, you're supposed to give yours first." She replied snootily. Nami blinked, before giggling and smiling warmly.

"Okay, then. My name is Nami. The one who's cooking is Sanji." Sanji turned to wave. "The one with the bellyband and mean face is Zoro."

"Shut up."

"The one being a baby rolling around on the floor is Kuro."

"That's not funny! Damn, you've got a thick head! Oww!"

"The merman is Arlong." Arlong scowled and looked away. Nami frowned at him and continued. "The guy with the huge nose is Usopp."

"Hey! My nose isn't that big!"

"The sickly-looking guy is Gin." Gin gave a start and looked in the small wall-mounted mirror.

"What! I don't look sickly… do I?" he pulled at the bags under his eyes. "I look a little sleepy, granted, but… do I really look sickly?"

"The skank with the bra is Alvida." Alvida whipped her mace around, intent on smashing her head. Luffy absently grabbed her wrist.

"Down, girl."

"Yes, captain."

"And this guy…" Nami turned and pointed to Luffy.

"Luffy." He nodded and let go of Alvida. "The captain of this ship."

"My name is Apis."

"Apis, eh? Interesting name. From a rural island, I would guess." He arched his fingers and placed his head upon them. "Now, straight to the million-beli question: what the hell are we going to do with you?" Apis opened her mouth, only to pause. Luffy frowned. "What?"

"I… hear something…" she muttered. Luffy cocked his head and listened. After a few seconds, his eyes hardened.

"Nami… how far south do you estimate that wind has taken us?" Nami's eyes widened in horror. Arlong went deathly pale.

"Oh my god… you're shitting me… please tell me you're shitting me, captain…" Luffy stood abruptly.

"ALL HANDS ON DECK!" he roared. "ROW LIKE HELL! WE'RE IN THE CALM BELT!" the knowledgeable crewmen, I.E., Kuro, Gin, Arlong, Alvida and Nami screamed in unadulterated terror. "ZORO! SANJI! USOPP! GET YOUR ASSES OUT THERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN ALIVE!" that tidbit of info spurred the remainder into action. Luffy ran out onto the deck and peered into the water, swearing. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! I'm not getting eaten again! WHERE ARE MY OARS!"

The water frothed and churned, exploding up into towers. Sea monsters of all shapes and (monstrous) sizes rose from the sea. The ship itself was perched precariously on the nose of a black-and-white striped sea king, seemingly the size of a pebble in comparison. "Oh my damn… nobody… say… anything… Usopp, if you scream, I'll rip your heart out and feed it to you…" Usopp snapped his mouth shut, rabid-like foam leaking out the hinges.

"'_Ribbit!' Crater, I'm bored! Want to mate?" _an enormously sized frog monster croaked. A strange anaconda-like monster with googly eyes wobbled its head.

"_We just did that two hours ago! I want to do something else!" _Luffy blinked. 'This wasn't exactly the thought process I would have expected from sea kings the size of mountains…"

"But why the hell are they so lazy? This wasn't the case at all before!" gold roger whispered, so as not to disturb them.

"Oh, and I'm sure you knew exactly how motivated sea kings were EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS AGO!" Luffy hissed quietly.

"I think I would know, seeing as how they were under my dominion!" gold roger retorted. "They were the ultimate weapons, the big guns, the buster call of the undersea army! Why the hell are they like this now!" the monster-frog shifted its bulk and stared at the ship.

"_Waver! You've got 'ribbit!' Something on your nose!" _the orca-patterned sea king rolled its eyes to see the pest.

"_Huh! You're right! When did that get there?" _

"_Can I eat it? 'Ribbit!' can I?" _Luffy did NOT like the way the conversation was turning.

"_I dunno… is it edible?" _orca-monster replied.

"_We can find out! Let 'ribbit!' me try it!" _frog-monster hopped once, causing tidal waves to rush.

"Luffy! Try talking to them!"

"What! Are you crazy! They'll chew us up and spit us out!" Luffy hissed. 'God, how did I get out of this before?'

"Sea Kings have almost indefinite lifespans! They won't die unless it's from a bodily wound! It's highly likely one of them will know me!" gold roger answered, hope creeping into his voice. Luffy growled.

"I swear to Kronos, Poseidon and however other many gods there are, roger, if we die because of you, I'm gonna kick your ass!" he took in a deep, steadying breath, and began to shout.

"OI! YOU DON'T WANT TO EAT US!" the crew screamed.

"LUFFY YOU IDIOT!" frog-monster blinked once and stared (up? Down?) At the ship.

"_Hey! It talks! That's new!" _

"ARE ANY OF YOU OVER EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS OLD!" Luffy shouted. Orca-monster shuddered. "ACK! DON'T DO THAT!"

"_Waver, keep 'ribbit!' still! You'll send the pebble flying!" _frog-monster ordered. Orca-monster stilled. _"Eight hundred years? 'Ribbit!' I think the chief is that old… let me 'ribbit!' check!" _frog monster sank beneath the surface of the sea. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Roger, you get to keep your balls. It worked." He turned around to the crew plus Apis, a relieved grin on his face. "Well, looks like we're out of hot water for now."

"HOW! We're stuck in the biggest breeding ground for sea kings in the WORLD, where there is absolutely NO wind or currents to get us out! HOW are we out of hot water!" Usopp screamed. Luffy flicked his hat.

"Well, we're not going to be eaten. That's a start." Luffy turned to the first mate. "Zoro! You're in charge while I'm gone!"

"You're going somewhere!" Nami shouted. Zoro quirked an eyebrow.

"This has to do with the secret thing, right? The thing you told me at cocoyashi?" Luffy nodded. The swordsman smirked. "Aye aye, captain."

"Thank you! And Apis!" the girl flinched. "I'm not done with you yet! When I get back, you're going to tell me why those marines were after you!" he backflipped over the side and slammed his arms to the side. A fountain of water sprouted up and smashed into the side of the going merry, sending the ship flying through the sky, back to east blue sea. Luffy cracked his neck and landed on top of the water.

"I feel like a midget right now." Gold roger laughed.

"Join the club, we've got jackets! It's times like these that the shapeshift technique really helps!" Luffy scratched his head.

"But you never taught me that! You showed me in cocoyashi, but you didn't show me how!"

"It's easy! Just imagine yourself in your mind's eye." Luffy closed his eyes, and an image of himself formed. "Now, picture that you slowly transforming into something else. It could be a dog, it could be one of the sea kings, it could be you but giant-sized! Focus on that image of transformation, and believe that that is truly you."

"Sounds like something you hear in mental therapy." Luffy quipped, but did as he was told. In his mind's eye, Luffy bubbled and shifted, rising higher, and higher, and higher into the air. A gust of wind smashed into Luffy's face, and his hand instinctively snatched at his hat. The image faded away. "Dammit! Lost it!"

"You sure about that?" roger asked dryly. Luffy opened his eyes, and was staring at an even level with the frog-monster.

"_Whoaribbit! You got big!" _it croaked. Luffy blinked and stared down. The surface of the water was miles below.

"Well, whaddaya know… it worked." Frog-monster shifted in place.

"_The chief is old enough, so we'll 'ribbit!' take you to see him. You can dive, right?" _Luffy nodded. _"Follow me!" _it leaped upwards, diving with a massive splash into the water. Luffy slid underneath without a ripple.

"Well, I'll say one thing about these guys. They can book it!" Luffy swam alongside the frog-monster, feeling the slight strain on his powers in his attempt to keep pace. The distance was spent in silence, before frog-monster pulled up.

"_The 'ribbit!' chief will see you!" _Luffy nodded his oversized head.

"Alright then." He stepped forward into the murky water. "Where is he? I can't see a thing…"

"_He's 'ribbit!' right in front of you!" _Luffy frowned and swirled his hand. The water cleared, and his heart nearly gave out.

"Gaia, mother of Kronos…" he breathed.

"Oh, sweet ever-loving…" gold roger echoed. "t-that's… impossible…" the sea BEHEMOTH rolled a single gargantuan eye to stare at him.

"_Who are you?" _

"S-squid…" Luffy stuttered.

Even in his hugely enhanced form, the giant sea squid dwarfed him easily. The bloody red skin rippled and rolled with massive muscles. The murky water beneath it concealed the hornet's nest of suction-cupped tentacles that could rip a lesser sea king in two.

"_Do you have a problem with squid, HUMAN?" _the massive kraken growled. Luffy backpedaled.

"I-uh, no! Nononononono! It's just, uh, I've never seen, um…"

"_You've never seen a kraken." _It finished. Luffy gulped audibly. He was one man that every person in the world could call absolutely fearless in the face of death. But this wasn't death. This was a force of NATURE. _"Speak now, or stop wasting my time."_

"I, uh…" Luffy found himself stunned into silence. Gold roger formed, staring with shock at the kraken.

"Krusher? Krusher, is that you?" the sea monster gave a start.

"_Roger? Gol D. Roger! How…! I thought you were dead!" _gold roger grinned.

"I cheated! By hell! Krusher! I thought you bit it with the purges!" Krusher waggled around, a stray tentacle floating in front of Luffy's face.

"_We sea kings were masters of these waters far before the mermen were even an idea of evolution. If we don't want to be found, then nobody short of Poseidon himself could find us in the sea!" _his beady eye rolled to Luffy. _"I suppose he was the second?"_

"You suppose right. Monkey D. Luffy, my successor in all but blood." His happy grin faded. "Why did you break off connections with us, Krusher? I thought it was because you were killed, and the tribe was is chaos, but… you're alive! Why?" Krusher sagged.

"_Roger… I have been a fool. I am not the beast I was before. I've allowed the tribe to disintegrate into every king for himself, fighting and killing and mating with whoever they please. I'm surprised they even listen to me at all anymore."_

"It's the virtue of your position, Krusher! They'd be bloody fools to ignore you!" Luffy shook his head, thoroughly lost.

"Okay, I give. What are you guys talking about?" gold roger turned to Luffy.

"The sea kings are creatures of power, and fiercely territorial. There are thousands of patches of sea kings spread across the world, each led by the strongest of the leading breed. The only thing uniting all of the breeding grounds is the tribe chief, which is the strongest sea king out of all the strongest sea kings. Krusher, here, is that chief." Luffy nodded.

"Alright, I think I get it. It's sorta like a hierarchy, but instead of the kings being related by birth, it's the strongest guy at any time! Sort of makes sense… would stop problems like the tenryuubito showing up…" gold roger shook his head.

"Not the case. You saw the huge variety of breeds here in the calm belt?" Luffy nodded. "This is one of the only mixed-breed gathering grounds for sea kings. Of the breeds, there are some that are held in the highest regard, regardless of their position of power. Those would be the kraken. Krusher is one of them." Luffy nodded.

"Okay, then… but they can still be ousted if somebody else is stronger? They just get a ton of respect, even if they aren't in the hierarchy?" roger nodded.

"In a nutshell, yes."

"I got one question, though." Luffy turned to the squid. "Mr. Krusher-"

"_Call me Krusher. Mr. makes me feel old… er that I already am."_

"Alright, then. No offense, Krusher, but if you were such a great leader, then why are you a washed-up has-been now?" Krusher sighed.

"_No offense taken. It's true, I am a washed-up has-been. We were a force to be reckoned with, back in the golden age, when we were all united under one banner. Now, the hierarchy is all but dead." _a tentacle came up and pulled at his face. _"It… it was my son."_

Your son? You had a son, Krusher, you sly dog!" gold roger grinned. "What's his name?"

"_What WAS his name, you mean." _Krusher corrected. Gold roger's face slipped.

"Oh, god… I'm so sorry… what happened?" Krusher angrily smashed at the water, and Luffy felt a tidal wave rise on the surface.

"_Oathbreakers! Honor-deserters! Spawn of hell!" _he ranted as he whirled around. Luffy saw dead fish floating up as angry spurts of ink gushed from the squid. _"They kidnapped him! They said that if I did not surrender my power, they would kill him!" _gold roger gaped.

"Holy hell… ignoring the succession rules… did they have a death wish?"

_He was not three weeks old! I slaughtered them all myself but they never intended to keep their deal! They consumed him whole!" _gold roger turned white as a sheet. Luffy blanched.

"That's horrible…" krusher writhed and ranted for many minutes more, before finally grounding to a halt, all energy spent.

"_He was my only child… Thrasher… his mother was wounded when she laid the egg, and was killed by another faction of rebels…"_

"You were left a broken man." Luffy finished. "the people in your life that you loved, that you truly cared for more than you cared for yourself were all gone. You had nothing left to live for." Luffy did not need the bob of the sea monster's head to know it was the case. He felt the waves of despair, of utter hopelessness. The waves of feelings that he felt at Raftel, the only survivor of the straw hat massacre.

"Krusher, I know that it must have been hard for you, but it's been eight hundred years! Surely you could have moved on by then!" roger cajoled. Luffy stared with resentment at roger.

"Shut the hell up, roger. You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what it's like, losing your entire life."

"_He's right, roger. You know nothing. She was to be my life-mate." _Krusher slumped. Gold roger gasped.

"A life-mate! God, you were considering something like that and I heard nothing! God…" gold roger then caught up to the conversation and paled. "Oh my god… you lost a life-mate and a child…"

"I take it life-mate means something big."

"It's the ultimate term of love in the Tribe. Sea Kings live indefinitely, and as such, they generally mate many times with many different Kings. A life-mating, however, means that the two sea kings are forever bound to each other, physically and spiritually. To woo a life-mate of another in the sea king world gets you killed, no questions asked. To lose a life-mate, after they have bonded with you on such a primal level… is like losing half of your soul. Many sea kings fear that power, so they avoid it like the plague. Those that did have a life-mate, only to lose them in battle… it drives them mad with grief. They charge haphazardly into battle, wishing for death."

"A pair of songbirds…"

"Aye. Exactly the story of a pair of songbirds. If one dies, the other withers away to join it."

"_There have been countless days, months, even years on end where I wish I could do the same, to join them once again. But to kill yourself, whether through starvation, wounds or what have you, is the worst form of dishonor. And I cannot go off to fight others, as that would leave the Tribe leaderless, however much of a figurehead position it is now. And so, I have struggled onwards." _Luffy bowed deeply.

"You shoulder a great burden, Krusher. One that I myself have felt, though certainly not to your degree. You possess willpower that could not possibly muster in a thousand years."

"_Your words gladden me, if only a little."_ Luffy opened his mouth, only to pause.

"Hang on… hold the mushi…"

"Something wrong, Luffy?" gold roger asked. Luffy waved him away dismissively, stroking his chin.

"It could… now that I think of it… the timeline doesn't match up…" Luffy whirled around to face the pirate king. "Roger! How long have the disappearances in the Florian Triangle been happening?" roger cocked his head.

"Uh… I dunno. They were happening while I was in the grand line, had been for a while. Why?"

"And how long was Thriller Bark in the Florian Triangle?" roger's eyes lit up.

"About ten years! The timetables don't match up! Something else was causing the disappearances!" Krusher floated about, spurting out an occasional cloud of ink.

"_I fail to see how this is important…" _Luffy whirled on the kraken.

"Did you ever find your family's bodies?" Krusher bristled.

"_Thank you for bringing up such a painful subject! Why not throw fresh water in the wound!"_

"Just answer the question!"

"_Yes, I found my wife's body! And my son was already being digested by the honorless monsters that took him!"_

"But you never found his body, did you? You just had their word for it!" Luffy prodded.

"_Yes! Enough with this interrogation!"_

"Where did you confront the kidnappers?"

"_Far into the grand line, I think… close to what you humans call 'the new world'… is there a point to all of this?" _Luffy thumped his oversized fist into his palm.

"That clinches it! Your son might just be alive!"

Silence.

Krusher quivered. Luffy could see after a moment that it was from barely controlled anger.

"_If this is a cruel joke of yours, straw hat, I swear to Poseidon that I will tear you limb from limb…" _Luffy waved his hands wildly, the terror from the start of the meeting beginning to seep back into his bones.

"Nononono! I'm not joking! Listen, there's this stretch of sea, called the Florian Triangle in the grand line! There's been a bunch of disappearances in there, with absolutely no explanations. We got lost there once, and we found this floating island called Thriller Bark, and this guy was stealing shadows of powerful people and sticking them into corpses, making zombies! That'd been going on for about ten years or so, but the disappearances had been going on for decades before that! It's close to the new world, where you found the kidnappers. And when we were leaving, I got this really weird vibe from the fog of the place, kinda like what you give out, only bite-sized! So, I'm suggesting that maybe your son somehow got away from them and fled into the Florian Triangle, and has hid out there for the past millennia!" Luffy finished. Krusher was silent. "Uhh… Krusher?"

"_My son… alive…?" _the kraken whispered, although with his booming voice, Luffy could hear it without any trouble. _"Thrasher…he's alive…" _a single thick, oily tear welled up in his eye, sinking down into the deep. _"He's alive…my son is alive!" _he trembled, a deep rumbling sounding out. _"He's alive! He's ALIVE! HAHAHAHAHA!" _he laughed out, showing more life than he had the entire time Luffy had seen him. _"HE'S ALIVE!" _

"You sound happy again!" gold roger grinned. "I'm glad we could help!" Krusher refocused on them.

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my soul! Whatever it is you want, speak and it shall be yours!" _Luffy grinned.

"Well, then, whip your troops into shape! You said that the chief position has become little more than a figurehead. Well, then un-become it! Get ready to fight!" Krusher waggled his tentacles wildly.

"_A war, is it? I like it! Nothing better than a little violence to motivate us monsters! I take it that the treaty between the mermen and us is renewed?" _

"When did it ever stop?" gold roger grinned. Krusher laughed.

"_Well said! Give me a target, and we'll raise some hell!"_

"First get the status quo back in order. It won't work for the general to be motivated, only for there to be no captains to execute his orders. But when you're all ready…" Luffy smirked.

"Raise some hell on the world government!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hooray for explanatory chapters! Boring, plot-moving, and completely necessary for where this is going!

Before I get any reviews on this, yes, I did spell it Krusher instead of Crusher on purpose. One, it looks a lot cooler as a name, and two, it's a bit of an Easter egg for a video game I own. Cookies to anybody who figures out which one.

A little Greek mythology for you. I find the convoluted ways of the gods to be endlessly fascinating, so I decided to throw my own little spin on conventional wisdom.

And the fur is flying between Alvida and Nami! God, I am SO trying to work out a cat-fight scene between the two and keeping it in tune with the story. It would be an EPIC WIN. If nothing else, expect an omake of that sometime soon!

Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	22. Catfights, Lost Islands And Butaman

And… BREAK!

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Disclaimer: why do I continually have to be tortured by this…?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

With a massive splash, the going merry touched down on the sea. The crew was sprawled pell-mell across the deck, in various stages of chaos. Zoro was the first to right himself. "Everybody alright?"

"Fine…" Kuro answered, wedged beneath Arlong's backside and the wall. "Although I can't breathe…"

"Whoa! Sorry 'bout that!" Arlong scooted up, and Kuro freed himself.

"Thank you." With little protest of their own, the crew finally pulled themselves together. "Now that we're all straightened out, we should try and figure out what to do with our new houseguest. We can't take her with to the grand line. That leaves us one of two options."

"Figure out where she came from and bring her back, or shunt her off on somebody else." Gin absently twirled his tonfa. "What would you like, Apis?" Apis, however, was preoccupied with staring at the sail. The big, bold skull and crossbones on the sail, to be precise.

"PIRATES!" she screamed, backing away into a wall. Sanji blinked.

"You didn't know? I thought Luffy told you…" he trailed off as she pulled a pathetically small knife out of the folds of her skirt. She brandished it wildly, shoving it towards anybody who moved. "Oh, come on! If we wanted to kill you, we would have done it a long time ago!"

"I knew I didn't like her…" Arlong muttered. Alvida stepped forward towards Apis. The little girl stabbed the knife towards her.

"Come on. Put the knife down, and we'll talk."

"Shut up! Get away from me!" Apis stabbed wildly. "I-I'll do it! I'll really do it!"

"You were fine with us until you found out we were pirates. Come on. We're not that bad…" Alvida continued. With tears in her eyes, Apis cried out and lunged forward. The knife nicked her skin…

Before sliding off harmlessly to the side. Apis screamed and dropped the knife like it burned her. Alvida picked it up and tucked it into her cloak.

"We're not going to hurt you. Calm down, Apis." Apis was merely frozen as Alvida patted her on the head and gently hugged her.

"I… I'm scared…"

"Shh, shh, it's okay…" Alvida murmured, stroking the girl's head. Gin arched an eyebrow at the display.

"Well, what do you know? She's pretty good with kids." Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"More like she's playing the girl like a harp."

"Come again?" Kuro gestured towards the two.

"Alvida is the self-proclaimed 'most beautiful woman on the seas'. While there are some that can protest that, she is certainly massively appealing, to both sexes. And though she's not going to full-out try and seduce a child, and a girl at that, she's using her beauty subtly to manipulate her emotions. It's rather surprising at the underhandedness, really." Gin whistled, impressed.

"Whoa. Never would have thought of that." He grinned. "Guess that's feminine wiles for you, eh?"

"Indeed." Alvida heard nothing of this as she stared the girl in her eyes.

"Are you okay now?" Apis nodded, eyes watery. "We're not the bad, pillaging pirates you thought we were. We're good pirates! Okay?"

"O-okay…" Apis muttered. Alvida smiled warmly.

"Are you hungry?" Apis nodded. "Did you finish the food from before?"

"Yeah…" Alvida clapped her hands twice.

"Sanji!"

"Yes, Alvida-chwaaaan!"

"Make Apis some dessert! The very best you can!" Sanji noodle-wiggled away to the kitchen. Alvida stood.

"Why don't you follow Sanji? See if you could help him with anything." Apis nodded and followed the blonde into the galley. Kuro clapped sarcastically.

"Bra-VO, bra-VO. What a performance." Alvida cast him a hard look.

"Shut up. What's wrong with being fond of children?" with that, she sat back down on her lawn chair and fell asleep. Zoro shrugged.

"Well, whatever. We wait for Luffy." He ambled over to a massive set of weights and picked it up. "1…2…3…" gin held out a knife to Arlong.

"Mumblypeg?" he offered. Arlong pulled out his own knife and tossed it at gin's boot. The blade thudded a fraction away from the shoe. Arlong grinned.

"That's a record, ain't it?" Gin tossed it at the ground. The blade landed straight between the man's toes, slicing into the sandal.

"No. THAT is!" he laughed. Arlong fumed. Nami stared disbelievingly.

"Why do you even play that game! You'll stab yourself in the foot!" Gin turned to her.

"Why not?" was all he said, before tossing the blade over his shoulder. Arlong yelped and ducked to the side as it passed where his head had been.

"HEY!"

"RUN AWAY!" Gin shouted, a laugh on his face as Arlong chased after him with teeth castanets. Apis, who was at the door peering outside, chuckled nervously.

"They're all idiots, aren't they?" Sanji said as he shuffled through his fridge. Apis nodded.

"But they're nice… right?"

"Yeah, I guess. If you're nakama, they'll go to the ends of the earth for you. Especially Luffy."

"Luffy?" Apis echoed.

"That's right. If somebody hurts one of his nakama, he'll hunt them to hell and back, just to kick their ass. There's only been one case where he has spared somebody, and Arlong still hasn't told me why."

"The… merman?" she stumbled, unfamiliar with the word. Sanji nodded, finally rustling all of the ingredients out of the fridge.

"Yeah. Why do you hate mermen, anyways? They look scary, but they're nice enough if you get to know them." Apis shook her head wildly.

"Oh, no! I don't hate them! It's just…" she trailed off. Sanji looked up from his work.

"Just what?" Apis shook her head.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Sanji finished his work and held out the small dish to her.

"Here, Apis-Chan! A rare and delightful treat!" Apis took the spoon from him and dipped into it. It touched her lips, and she gasped with delight.

"It's so delicious!" Sanji smiled.

"It's called 'ice cream'. It's incredibly hard to make, and even harder to preserve, but it makes one of the best desserts ever."

"It's so good! I've never had anything so tasty in my life!" she exclaimed as she gulped it down. She yelped and clutched her head. "COLD!"

"It'll do that if you eat it too fast. Slower, next time." The cook admonished.

"SANJI! MEAT!" a voice screamed. The blonde pushed open the door, tossing a drumstick into the air. Luffy leapt up like a dog and caught the piece of chicken in his mouth, gnawing on it. "You know me too well!"

"I don't want you raiding my fridge again, you hear?" Sanji shouted. Luffy ignored him as he tossed the now-naked bone over the rail.

"Apis!" he called out, walking towards the girl. Se flinched a bit, but held her ground. The captain crouched down in front of her. "I've asked you several times, but you've never given me a straight answer. Why were those marines chasing you?" she looked down, abashed.

"…I can't tell you." Luffy sighed.

"I was afraid of that. Then, could you tell me where you're from?" she looked up, faintly surprised.

"Oh! Um… I'm from Gunkan Island!"

"Gunkan island, eh? No points for guessing why it's called that." Gin drawled, looking over his shoulder.

"They call it that because it looks like a big battleship!" Apis chirped. Luffy grinned.

"Like he said, no points for guessing!" Luffy stomped on the ship, and a circular wave pulsed out. Luffy closed his eyes and followed the wave. "I'd say Gunkan Island is about… a day's hard sailing away. Should we take you there?" Apis' eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Oh, no! You've already done so much for me, protecting me from the marines! I couldn't possibly ask you to do more! If you find another ship, I could find my way home alone…" Luffy considered this for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No good. If you had told us this before, we could have done that. But…" he jerked his head towards the Jolly Roger. "The natural reaction to pirates is to run away screaming. The Queen's already headed off towards Reverse Mountain, the Dutchman is still trying to catch up to us, and the Bezan Black is with the Dutchman." He continued, stroking his chin.

"In other words, we're stuck with only one option." Kuro finished, leaning against the door frame. Apis yelped and Luffy flinched.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough. You said that it was a day's hard sailing away. Is this with or without your powers speeding us up?" Luffy's mouth formed an 'O' as the implications set in.

"You're right! I've done that before! Well, then, it's an easy day's journey if I speed us up!" Apis looked between the two, lost. Luffy smiled and looked at her. "Well, it's settled then! We'll take you back to Gunkan Island!" Apis' face lit up like a light bulb.

"REALLY! Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you, Luffy! I'm so happy! I'm so happy! Thank you!" gin smiled.

"We'll have to book it back to avoid the marines. They've bound to have sent somebody from Loguetown after us." Luffy grinned and thumbed his nose.

"Yeah, smoker seems pretty obsessive. He's probably trying to catch up to us once that storm let out." He thumped the deck, and the Going Merry rose up on a wave, carrying it towards Gunkan Island. "But he thinks we're making a beeline for Reverse Mountain! He doesn't expect us to double back on him!"

"So he's in front of us, and the hunter becomes the hunted. Clever." Kuro pushed his glasses up his nose. "Not the most elegant of plans, but it works for our purposes." Luffy walked over to the figurehead and shifted his straw hat over his face.

"Wake me when it's dinner." And with that, the captain fell asleep. The ship sailed onward, towards Gunkan Island.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"ERIK!" Nelson Royale shouted, his massive rolls of fat trembling in disgusting rage. The mercenary shifted out of the shadows, pinky-thin sunglasses glinting.

"You called, admiral?" the marine admiral picked up a bone of meat and ripped off a chunk.

"You were supposed to have captured that girl and brought her back to us! She is the only clue we have to the Ryuukotsu! (Dragon bones)" the meat in his throat caught, and he reached through his lard to clutch his throat, coughing. Chunks of half-chewed meat flew out of his gullet, landing on Erik's face and styled hair. Grimacing in disgust, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the offets from his face. "What's this I hear about her being rescued by pirates!"

"I slight miscalculation. Your marines were unable to keep hold of her, and she escaped with sea scum." He continued in monotone. The fat admiral growled. "But believe me when I say that she shall be in our custody again. For the right price…"

"I'll pay whatever's necessary! As long as the only clue to the elixir of eternal youth does not escape us!" nelson finished off the meat and chucked the bone at a cringing marine. "Go clean that up!" the marine flinched and shuffled away, gingerly clutching the bone. "Take the fleet and hunt her down! Find her before she escapes!"

"And the pirates?"

"Do whatever you want with them! Turn them in for a bounty if you must! Just get me that Ryuukotsu!" Nelson grinned, fat cheeks expanding. "I will have the elixir of eternal youth, no matter what!" Erik smirked.

"That's what you think, you barrel of lard…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Luffy! Wake up! There's a ship off the port bow!" Usopp shouted down from the crow's nest. He cracked an eye open, yawning blearily.

"What, what? I'm up!" he sat up stretching, squinting in the offered direction. Indeed, in the morning fog, there was a shadowy silhouette of a battleship. He thumped Merry's head, sending a silent apology to the ship, and the pulse shot out. He smirked as the information was relayed. "That's no ship, Usopp! That's an island! Apis!" the girl ran out of the kitchen, clutching a frying pan with… _something _caked onto the insides.

"Yeah?" Luffy blinked and stared down at the stuff in the frying pan.

"What the hell is that?" Apis smiled happily.

"Breakfast! Do you want some?" Luffy stared at the indiscernible clumps.

"…is it edible?" gin inched his way to Luffy's side.

"Don't eat it, whatever you do. She cooked some for dinner, and it was horrible!" h whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Luffy arched an eyebrow.

"Really now?" he picked up a clump, eying it. "Well, down the hatch!" gin yelped and lunged unsuccessfully for Luffy's hand as the clump was swallowed. Luffy swirled the taste around in his mouth, frowning as Apis shuffled nervously.

"Ummm… how is it? Sanji told me I used too much spice last time, so, I tried balancing it out with sugar…" Luffy tapped his chin.

"Well… you used way too much spice still…" Apis slumped. "And the sugar was overpowering…" Apis wilted. Luffy grinned. "But that's one hell of an interesting taste!" Apis perked up.

"You mean it's good!" Luffy laughed.

"Hahahaha! Yeah! I've got a strong stomach! Though, if you want an idea, trying doing all that stuff, and then add something _sour _to the mix! Then, put all that into something, I dunno, like candy! It'd be the ultimate test of your taste!"

"You mean a taste test?" Apis corrected. Luffy shook his head.

"No, a test of your taste! See if you can even taste anything anymore!" Luffy laughed hysterically as Apis chuckled nervously, unsure if that was something to laugh at. Luffy looked over his shoulder and flinched. "Oh, yeah! Apis! Is that your island coming up there?" Apis gasped and ran to the balustrade.

"It is! That's Gunkan Island!" the fog slowly cleared, and an island full of rocky precipices formed. Luffy smirked.

"Alright, everybody, hold on to something! We're in the home stretch!" with a wave of his hands, a tidal wave shot up, carrying the Going Merry along with it. Alvida screamed and toppled over in her lawn chair. Nami rushed out of the girl's quarters with an ink bottle on her head, clutching the rail.

"Luffy! What the hell are you doing!" Luffy looked over and blinked confusedly.

"What? I'm speeding us up!" he walked over to her sure-footedly, peering at the slowly spreading ink. "Hmmm… can't say you look good with black hair. I like it the way it is." He waved his hands, and the black moisture flew upwards and back into the bottle. Nami smashed her fist into Luffy's head, slamming him to the deck.

"Idiot! Warn us the next time you do that!" Luffy's words filtered through, and her face went a pale pink. "Wait… what was that you said…?"

"Owwie…" Luffy moaned, clutching his head. "Meanie… after I complimented your hair, too…" Nami's face lit up like a firecracker.

"y-you said…"

"Don't touch Luffy!" Alvida swooped in out of nowhere, grappling with Nami. The two went sprawling to the deck. Alvida clawed frantically at Nami's eyes, snarling. "You keep your hands off him!"

"CATFIGHT!" Gin screamed, running with speeds defying all logic to the scramble. "LUFFY! GET SOME MUD AND THROW IT ON THEM!"

"Huh!" Luffy exclaimed as shreds of Alvida's cloak flew past his face. "What the hell!"

"w-th-na-alv-fi-d-jiggabu-" Sanji stuttered as he jerked back and forth between the fighting females, before rocketing into the wall in a glorious spray of nasal blood. He slumped down, unconscious. Gin and Arlong, who had appeared out of nowhere, were whooping and cheering on the brawl.

"YEAH! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!" gin whooped. "NAMI! THE EYES! GO FOR THE EYES!"

"ALVIDA! GO FOR THE BRA! THE BRA!" Arlong cheered. "TEAR IT TO SHREDS!" Zoro looked up from his nap and frowned.

"Pests…" he muttered. Kuro sipped his margarita.

"They are quite rambunctious." He commented, biting onto an ice cube. "Though I'm surprised you're not over there, cheering them on. Are you even interested in women?"

"Becoming the world's greatest swordsman takes priority. Having a love life can wait." the santoryuu user replied. "What about you? You don't seem too enthused about a catfight."

"I'm misogynous." Was all he said. Meanwhile, Luffy had finally pried the two apart. Nami was nursing claw marks on her stomach, while Alvida was clutching a slashed bra strap, keeping herself from inadvertently flashing the crew.

"Alright, THAT'S ENOUGH!" he roared. "I don't know what this is about, but I'm putting a stop to it right now!" the two women froze. Alvida grew a saucy smirk and sashayed to Luffy's side.

"Ohh, captain, you're so… _forceful_. I like a man who knows what's his…" Luffy slapped her hand away.

"Hands off!" he shouted. The self-proclaimed 'most beautiful woman on the sea' jerked back in shock. "You touch me again and you'll find out EXACTLY how much your slippery skin protects you!" Alvida shrank inward, losing some of her bluster. "Now, what's with the bitchiness? I know for a fact that nothing's happened while I'm around."

"She…! The skank says…!" Nami stuttered, unable to begin.

"The bitch can't handle the competition." Alvida muttered, still hunkered into herself. "All I did was state a few of my immediate goals on this ship and she tries to murder me."

"YOU SAID-" Nami screeched, before silencing herself. Luffy arched an eyebrow.

"She said what?" Nami shook her head resolutely, wearing a blush as bright as her hair.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Luffy." Alvida was apparently emboldened by the submissiveness, for she stood again and laughed, hand on her hips. (While still miraculously clutching her slashed bra)

"What, you think you can handle him? He's WAY too much man for a weak little girl like you to handle! I'm the only one who-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Nami screamed, lunging forward again.

"Bring it, bitch!" Alvida snarled, hunkering down. Luffy lunged in-between them and blasted them both with a massive pulse of Haki.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he roared, freezing everybody in their respective tracks. (Even the people who weren't moving!) "I don't know what the hell this is about, but you two are both OUT OF LINE! Alvida!" he whirled on the former pirate captain. "You've been the prime source of this fight since the moment it started! I'm starting to regret my decision to take you aboard!" Alvida paled dramatically.

"But…! I'm useful…!"

"Hardly. All you do is lie about in the sun and use Sanji like a lapdog. You have no essential job for the crew, and therefore, you are completely expendable!" Alvida looked like a child who had been told Christmas was cancelled. The straw hat captain rounded on the carrot-top. "And YOU!" Nami jerked.

"Me! I'm the victim here!"

"I thought you were more level-headed than this!" Luffy continued. "You're brawling on the deck, hurling childish insults, and trying to hurt a crewmate! I don't know how things were done with Arlong, but here, we take that offense very seriously!" Nami froze, eyes wide with hurt, betrayal and hatred. Arlong winced.

"Ouch. That's a low blow for both of us." Luffy plowed on.

"Now, you two are going to play nice, or so help me Kronos, I am kicking you both off at the next island! Do I make myself clear!" the two women were silent. "DO, I MAKE MYSELF, CLEAR!"

"Yes…" the two mumbled.

"Then shake hands and apologize. I won't have this kind of animosity on my ship. Not while I'm captain." Nami and Alvida reached out and robotically shook hands while glaring daggers at each other.

"sorry." Nami ground out through gritted teeth.

"likewise." Alvida repeated. Luffy relaxed visibly.

"Alright, Then. Alvida, you should probably change into something else, before Sanji comes to. He might not survive the blood loss." She looked down and realized that at some point in time, she had let go of the strap, and her modesty was barely standing up on its own. Her hand slapped to her chest as she ran into the women's quarters. "You want me to help with that gash, Nami?" Luffy offered, pointing at the claw marks on her stomach. Nami hesitated, the bitter feelings drudged up by Luffy still lingering. "I promise it'll fix it!"

"Okay…" she mumbled, sitting down propped against the wall. Luffy absently waved his hand, and water cased the appendage like a glove.

"Mizu Mizu Salacia Zenchi." He murmured, placing the water-glove over the scrape. Nami's eyes widened as the wound quickly scabbed over, before disappearing completely. Her eyes fluttered absently.

"Oooh…" she whispered quietly. "This feels… nice…" Luffy smiled.

"Well, I hope you don't feel it too often, then." Nami snapped back to alertness.

"What? Why not?" Luffy chuckled.

"Because then it means that somebody hurt you! I don't like seeing my nakama hurt!" Nami's face burned brightly.

"I… I suppose that makes sense…" she whispered. Luffy stood, draping her shirt back over the exposed skin.

"There. All better. I can only do skin deep wounds right now, but I'm getting better at it!" he leaped away. "SANJIIIIIIII! MEAAAAAAT!" Zoro smirked and drew a quath of ale from his tankard.

"Does he even realize the effect he has on women?" Kuro arched an eyebrow at the hooded look of Nami.

"Probably not. Think he's asexual?"

"Nah, he's straight. I can tell."

"Oh, really? How can you tell?" Kuro sipped his margarita. Zoro stood and walked towards his weight stand.

"Because of the way he looks at Nami. He probably doesn't even know he does it, but he looks differently at her than other women." He picked up his many-ton barbell and began swinging. "1…2…3…" Kuro licked the salt on the side of the glass.

"The way he looks at her, eh…?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"PIRATES! PIRATES ARE HERE!" the alarm sounded out throughout the small fishing village as the skull and crossbones sailed closer and closer. Quick as lightening, the women and children were locked inside their homes, and the men were at the coast, armed with harpoons and flaying knives. With a final creak, the Going merry slammed into the coast. The small rope ladder fell down automatically, without any prompting from humans. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife… until Apis appeared from the hold.

"Yo! I'm back!" she cried out, waving. The men jerked back, startled.

"A-Apis!" the small girl scampered down the rope ladder quickly. "Why are you… on a pirate ship…?" Luffy and company quickly climbed down the ladder. "What's going on here?"

"They don't seem very prepared, do they?" Alvida peered out over the numbers. The gathering of men took one look at her and went flying, as if slapped by an invisible hand. Luffy blinked, before scowling.

"We're going to put a bag over your head or something, if we get this reaction from every island we stop at."

"Over my beautiful dead body!" the fishermen pulled themselves together, clutching bloody noses and withholding perverted grins. Luffy shrugged and turned to them. His hat shaded his eyes ominously.

"You there." The apparent leader sobered up and flinched back.

"w-what do you want…?"

"Where's the nearest meat store!"

Silence.

"Huh?" the protectors said as one.

"What's with these guys?" a man muttered under his breath. Arlong, who had opted to stay behind as ship guard, laughed softly.

"Get used to it, kiddies, because random is all you're getting out of him…" he laughed again as he drank straight from the bottle.

"Apis, what are you doing on a pirate ship?" Apis perked up.

"Well, you see, even through they're pirates, they're GOOD pirates!"

"Is there even such a thing as a good pirate?" the leader and Gin said as one. Gin snickered.

"But weren't you taken away by the marines?" another asked.

"That's right! But then I ran away! Then Luffy and his crew saved me, right?" she pointed up at Luffy. He nodded.

"Straw hat Luffy, at your service." He bowed.

"Apis, what have you done? The marines are after you, and we don't know why! There're even still some back at your house! You shouldn't go back there right now."

"Oh no…" Apis moaned.

"We'd like to help you, but… these guys are pirates!"

"But she just said we're good pirates…" Usopp muttered. Gin snickered.

"Kid, there is no such thing as a good pirate. There is only a skilled pirate and an unskilled pirate."

"Man, what a fix…" Apis scratched the back of her head absently.

"Apis!" an elderly voice called out. The crowd parted to reveal an elderly, hunched-over man with several more pounds at his gut than necessary. "Come here this instant."

"Who's he?" Nami asked.

"Don't know." Zoro answered. Apis rushed forward, laughing.

"Grandpa Bokuden!" Bokuden laughed as the girl slammed into his chest, hugging her close.

"I'm glad you're safe." He looked up at the straw hat crew. "I thank you for saving Apis. I'd like to give you a warm welcome at my house. How about it?"

"Is your house a meat store?" Luffy asked eagerly.

"It's not a meat store, but grandpa Bokuden makes the best Butaman (pork-filled buns) on the island!"

"BUTAMAN!" Luffy shouted, pumping a fist. "Let's get butaman!"

"Sure, let's go." Zoro shrugged.

"I haven't had butaman since I was a kid! Wonder if his are any good." Gin pondered as they walked up the roads to his house.

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"**Dammit, where the hell is that bastard hiding!" **Kronos cursed as once again his powers were deflected. **"He's blocking all my attempts to survey the planet! He's made me blind as a bat up here!" **Poseidon frowned.

"Well, if you can't find where he's been hiding on earth – are you sure he's taken a corporeal form? That would make him vulnerable."

"**Of course Zeus has taken a corporeal form! Why else would he block our attempts to view the earth? Because he's worried that we'd be able to find him down there! And he's certainly not up here, and he'd never besiege himself to hide in any of the hells! It would be beneath him! He's definitely on earth!" **Poseidon sighed.

"**Well, then we're screwed. If we can't find him, then we can't take him down." **A thought struck the god of the sea, and he played with it for a bit. **"What if I used the sea creatures to try and find him? He can hide from us the direct way, so why not the indirect way?"**

"**No good, he'd never go where your men can find him. He's the god of the sky, remember? He'd keep within his natural element no matter what." **Kronos pulled his face, anguished. **"And you've just woken up; you can't possibly have enough power to take control of enough creatures to make an effective search."**

"**Dammit, dad, you don't have to put a damper on things like that!" **Poseidon yelled, before calming himself. **"I'm sorry. This is… really stressful, finding out your brother is in effect trying to kill all his siblings. You're right. I don't have enough power, not without my body. But I can't just sit here and twiddle my thumbs while he's out there raising hell!"**

"**You think this isn't stressful for me? I've had to meditate on this for nearly a millennia! This is the worst thing that's happened since the downfall!" **Kronos sank into his throne, bones limp. **"What I wouldn't give for mother to be here right now. She could take care of this…"**

"**Yeah, she'd straighten Zeus out! The only thing scarier than a god is his mom!" **the two shared a laugh at that. Poseidon then cocked his head, tapping his chin. **"Say… I wonder…"**

"**What?"**

"**What about… the council? They're your big strike against Zeus. Maybe you could use them to find him!" **Kronos' mouth opened in an 'O' of recognition.

"**Of course… the council! The one foray into Zeus' power that I have! My one foray into the sky!" **Kronos closed his eyes and stretched his powers to the limit, sending tendrils all throughout the planet. Moments later, he rocked back in his seat, cursing. **"Dammit! He's thought of that one! He's blocked off my connection to them!"**

"**Damn… well… maybe I can try and get to them. They were originally part of the sea, maybe I still have a lingering connection to them." **Kronos nodded.

"**Let's hope so…"**

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THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! With slow preciseness, Bokuden placed the lid over the carefully formed butaman, sealing the foodstuffs inside the steam cooker. "There we go. Everything is set, now we just have to wait." Luffy and Usopp stared at the cooker with obvious relish.

"Cool!"

"It smells so good!" Gin arched an eyebrow at the apparatus.

"Damn, this thing is ancient. Even my grandpa had a faster thing than this." Sanji peered at the woven basket.

"Well, it certainly IS old-fashioned. Gramps, how long is this going to take?"

"Oh, I'd say they'll be ready… in four to five hours, I suppose." Luffy and Usopp gave a start.

"EH!"

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"Are they ready yet~?" Luffy moaned as he lay slumped against the wall of Bokuden's home. Nami delicately sipped a cup of tea.

"Bokuden-san, do you know why the marines are after Apis? Any idea?" Bokuden turned to the girl.

"Apis, do you have any idea?"

"None!" Luffy arched an eyebrow.

"Now, this is where we have a problem. You said on the ship that there was something you couldn't tell us. Now you say that there was nothing. Get your stories straight."

"Oh, well, I lied!" Apis adapted quickly. Luffy, however, could tell that she was hiding something. What it was remained to be seen.

"Well…" Bokuden wormed himself back into the conversation. "There is something."

"But she just said there wasn't!" Usopp shouted, pounding the table.

"Spaz much?" Gin snorted. Bokuden ignored them.

"We don't have much on this island, but what we do have is our Ancient Legend."

"Legend?" Zoro echoed, pulling out of his semi-coma. Bokuden seemed to light up.

"The people of this island are known as the descendants of the Lost Island that sank thousands of years ago at the peak of its prosperity." Luffy, having subtly stolen Nami's tea and being in the process of drinking it, choked and spat out the contents loudly.

"Huh!" he exclaimed. "What did you just say?"

"Hey! Isn't that my tea!" Nami shouted, miffed about not even noticing the theft.

"Hah! The cat burglar was pickpocketed!" Usopp crowed, before shrinking down at the devil-like look on her face.

"The Lost Island sank thousand of years ago, at the peak of its prosperity." Bokuden repeated, as requested. Luffy, however, was no longer paying attention.

'Did you hear that, roger!'

"_You think these people are descendants of Atlantis?" _gold roger asked.

'Unless there's another island out there that sank a thousand years ago!'

"_You've got a point, there. This bears a closer investigation." _Roger turned towards the elderly man. In the meantime, he had already continued onwards.

"The Lost Island was home to dragons called the Sennenryuu (millennium dragon). The bones of the Sennenryuu were called the Ryuukotsu, and were believed to be an elixir to eternal youth." Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

'Well, I'll be damned. That certainly doesn't sound like Atlantis!'

"_Who knew Atlantis was a copy-cat!" _gold roger joked.

"But I don't understand. What do the marines have to do with this legend?" Sanji took a drag on his cigarette. Kuro gently pushed up his glasses.

"Everything, Sanji. In my experience, if there is anything in the world that is in any way mystical and power-granting, there is some sort of corrupt marine official trying to claim it for their own."

"But then, wouldn't there be some sort of clue in the legends?" Bokuden smiled.

"Well, then, why don't we go through and look for clues? To begin with, the Lost Island's first king was Istandaq…"

"There he goes again…" Apis muttered beneath her breath.

"What, he does this a lot?" Luffy questioned. Apis rolled her eyes.

"Only every other day. Nobody ever mentions history around him anymore because of it."

"Now, Popeko soon had three sons." Bokuden continued. "The eldest was Bokehontasu. The second son was Bokebonbon. And the third son was Bokebokepon."

'Are you listening to this?' Luffy thought absently. Gold roger nodded enthusiastically.

"_Of course I am! It's fascinating what you can learn from history, especially since I've probably been there during my time-hopping!"_

'Whatever floats your boat.' He shrugged. Apis stood up and quietly tiptoed past the enraptured crowd. She turned to Luffy, who was staring intently at her, and made a shushing motion. Luffy nodded. 'She's probably memorized all of this living with him.'

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"…and then, in the 317th generation, Ingrimoni the 3rd's son, Yugrimoni, became a great ruler…" Bokuden continued, undaunted by the tale's enormous length. Nami leaned over to Usopp's ear, who was lagging from information overload.

"Hey, how long do you think he's going to go on?"

"Dunno…" Usopp whispered back. Luffy barely suppressed a snort of laughter as gold roger nodded attentively, making sounds and grunts of affirmation.

'You're still listening to this?' Luffy tried hard not to laugh.

"_Of course I'm listening to this! I've recognized several names in here! I think I've even slept with a couple of the princesses here and there! I'm surprised that they all came from this place!" _gold roger replied indignantly.

'Knowing you, you probably have slept with them.' Zoro was blissfully asleep.

"…he went on to have eighteen children. Those eighteen children…"

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"…the king implemented a great revolution. But that king _sure _had a lot of children!" Usopp's moaned as his stomach screamed in protest.

"So hungry…"

"Can I seduce him to let us go?" Alvida whined.

"We can't leave until he finishes his story!" Nami hissed at her. Sanji smoked the last of his third box of cigarettes.

"When are we gonna eat those butaman? I'm famished!" Gin squirmed in his seat. Kuro pulled out a box of snack sticks and munched on one absently. "When did you get those! Share some with me!"

"No. get your own." Kuro held them protectively to his chest. Luffy, who had at this point passed out from hunger, suddenly stood up, slumped into himself.

"Butaman…" he moaned, taking slow, shuffling steps. Nami quickly noticed his movements.

"Luffy?"

"Gonna take a piss." Alvida immediately stood.

"I'll help you!" Nami yanked the libidinous pirate down on her ass.

"You sit down!" Bokuden, amazingly, did not notice any of the activity. Gold roger nodded again and again, chuckling softly.

"_Hey, I think I knew that guy! He was the biggest asshole I ever knew, but he sure could hold his liquor!"_

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Apis quietly slid open the steam cooker, emptying the pork buns into a massive sack. "Hang on, Ryuuji. I'll be there soon."

"Butaman…" Luffy moaned, shuffling along to the small hut. Apis gasped quietly and ducked behind a wooden pillar.

"Oh, no!" the lidded gaze of Luffy told her that the pirate captain was not entirely lucid. "Please, don't come in here!" she pleaded, picking up a frying pan that happened to miraculously be there. Luffy sniffed the air in front of the hut, a stupid grin spreading across his face.

"Butaman, smell so good…" Apis clenched her eyes and raised the pan over her head

THUMP! Luffy hit the ground directly in front of her, snoring without a care in the world. Apis unclenched her eyes to stare in confusion.

"You're kidding! I didn't even hit him yet!"

"Butaman…" Luffy groaned in his sleep. Apis, after a moment's thought, took one of the butaman and placed it on his sleeping cheek. With a pleased smile, she bundled up the bag of pilfered pork.

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"…and in the 1,111st generation, no, it was the 1,121st generation, it was Hokehontasu." The straw hat pirates were on their last limbs. Sanji plucked the limply hanging cigarette from his lips and ground out the ash. The ashtray was overflowing with other dead nicotine sticks. "Thereupon, Nemenemetasu entered the civil service and thought, 'how shall I protect this man?'"

"I am seriously considering killing him right now…" Gin mumbled. Nami frowned and began slinking across the floor. Usopp turned his head loosely to face her.

"Oi. Where are you going?" she placed a finger to her lips and winked cutely.

"I'm worried why Luffy's taking so long, so I'm going to check up on him."

"No fair…" Alvida stood.

"Hey! Why does she get to go to Luffy-kun and I don't!"

"Nami-san's so wonderful when she's stealthy~!" guess who said that.

"…but before the other countries could invade, he ordered the preparation of the kingdom to commence." Do I need to spell it out for you?

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"Yeesh… what a relief." Nami walked along the wooden walkway leading to the cookhouse. The light sounds of snoring rolled out. Nami crouched down and shook the sleeping man. "Luffy… Luffy…kun…?" the butaman precariously perched on his cheek slid into his open mouth. Nami's scream of horror roused him from dreamland.

"THEY'RE ALL GONE!" Luffy sat up, completely awake and chewing his morsel.

"Wow, this is really tasty!" Nami's fist introduced itself to the back of his head.

"How can you say it's tasty! You didn't leave any for US! What do you have to say for yourself!" Nami screamed, any and all affection at seeing a sleeping Luffy gone; instead, white-hot annoyance filled her veins.

"The hell are you talking about, woman?" Luffy rubbed the back of his head. Nami crossed her arms, eyebrow twitching.

"Jeez…"

"Hello, what's this? That wasn't here before!" Luffy slid his butt along a deep groove in the floor. "It's a mystery trail!" Nami wiped her finger along the groove. Her eyes followed the path along the path and out the door.

"Where do you think it goes?" Luffy grinned.

"Only one way to find out!" he ran out the door, nose to the ground. Nami protested as she chased after him.

"l-Luffy!" she suddenly bumped into his broad back, blushing furiously as she realized just _where _her hands ended up in the collision. Luffy peered back, bemusement on his face.

"Err, Nami? Why are you fondling my ass?" Nami's hands leaped away from said ass.

"Err! It was an accident!" she protested, face a deep red. 'Although it was a nice ass…' her face invented a new shade of crimson at the thought. Luffy sticking his head into the bushes and giving her an eyeful of it wasn't exactly helping ei- wait, what? "Luffy, what are you doing?"

"Mystery hole!" Nami didn't want to touch _that _particularly bad phrasing with a ten foot pole. She did, however, stick her head in through the bushes. And there, at the base of the cliff, was a hole leading up through the precipices.

"Let's go." Luffy pushed his way through the bushes, Nami shortly behind him. The two made their way up through a good stretch of the path, until they met a Cliffside. Nami peered over to see that they were still on the right track.

"Looks like the butaman swung their way over. Luffy!" Luffy nodded.

"As you wish." He waved his hands, and the rushing water beneath them flung itself upward. The water condensed many times over, until there was a solid block of watery stone. He waved his hands dramatically. "After you, madam." Nami giggled and walked across airily.

"Thank you, my lord." Luffy grinned and followed after her, waving his hand dismissively. The water-stone dissolved, turning back into river.

"My lord! I like the sound of that!" he looked up at the towering juts of stone. "Looks like we're pretty much behind the mountain now." Nami blinked and peered at an opening.

"Hey, what's that?" Luffy grinned at the cave.

"The end of our runaway butaman!" the pirates walked into the cave confidently. As they walked, they heard a girl talking.

"Yep, I was okay. Some weird pirates saved me." Apis said from behind a cluster of stalagmites and stalactites. "Nah, they're not that bad! I bet you're hungry! I have some of grandpa Bokuden's butaman for you!" the sound of rapid eating filled the air. "No, don't eat them all at once!" Luffy's gaze hardened.

"She's stealing our butaman!"

"I'm sorry, I still don't know. I'm trying hard to find out, but I still don't have any clues." Nami looked over at the clump of rock blocking their view.

"Who is she talking to?" Luffy stepped forward boldly.

"So, you mind telling us why you stole all of our butaman?" Apis, to her credit, didn't seem surprised to see Luffy there. She whirled around and spread her arms across an indiscernible shadowed mass. It was far larger than her, though, so the point was moot.

"Don't shout out suddenly like that!" Luffy stepped forward. "No, stay back!"

"Not until you tell us why you stole our butaman." He countered. She flinched as he grew closer. "So, not going to- GHHHHH!" he froze, staring in awe at the revealed object. Nami tilted her head.

"Luffy?" she stepped after him. "Luffy, is there something wr- GYAAAAAAAH!" she screamed, unable to help herself.

There, lying prone on the floor in a curled heap, with a single golden eye staring at them, was a massive feathered dragon.

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Heheh. I've always found rambling old guys to be hilarious.

For those of you who watch the Japanese subs, this isn't going to play out like the series does it. For those who read the manga or stick 'shudder shudder' with the English dubs, then, well, you're not missing out on anything.

Oh! Speaking of people who don't watch the subs, yes, I did say that the dragon had feathers. This is not unusual in dragonology. The stereotype of dragons is the big, fire-breathing, shiny scaled, treasure-hoarding beast. This is not true for all cultures. Many cultures have feathered dragons. It's not an outlandish idea, just so you know. (Plus, that's what the arc has for it, so… 'Sweatdrop')

An overdose on LuNa, I know, but hey! Can you complain? 'Smirk' hehe. I love screwing with Nami's head on this.

I left stuff in the original Japanese when I couldn't figure out a good literal translation. Sorry for those of you that don't like that!

The catfight was EPIC WIN, no? Lol

The reason I included this arc will be revealed next chapter, never fear! I won't keep a secret any longer!

Five reviews gets me working on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	23. Dragons, Mermen And Okama

OH MY GOD I FOUND MY FLASH DRIVE! PRAISE THE LORD HALLELUJAH! GOD IS GREAT AND GOD IS GOOD! Turns out, it was in my pants pocket in the clothes I took to my family reunion! The thief that broke into my house DIDN'T steal it with the laptop after all!

Hehehe. Apparently you guys liked the catfight. God, if only somebody would do fan art for that… 'Hint hint wink wink nudge nudge'

Speaking of which, can anybody do drawings for this story? That would be so cool. If any of you out there can draw, send me a link of the picture and I'll post it in here somewhere!

This post has nothing to do with Michael Jackson.

Right, then, MOVING ON!

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Disclaimer: can I stop doing this? I think I've pounded the fact that I don't own one piece into your skulls by now… I hope…

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"hu-but-whaaaa…" Luffy stumbled verbally, stunned by the sight in front of him. Nami was frozen stiff with fear. The dragon's golden eye shifted ever so slightly to take in both interlopers. Luffy's brain went on autopilot.

"AMAZING!" he nearly squealed, leaping over Apis' head and cuddling with the dragon's head. "It's alive, it's real! So COOL!"

"Ah, no!" Apis reacted slowly, though by this point the effort was moot. Nami was still frozen stiff with fear.

'Impossible… I thought they were just legends… but for dragons to actually exist…!' Luffy, however, was still infatuated.

"What's your name, big guy? Huh? Huh? Can I keep you?" he turned to Nami, big puppy eyes gleaming. "Can I keep it! PLEEEEEAAASE?" the inherent stupidity of the question snapped Nami back to the real world.

"NO!" she screamed, smashing Luffy on the head. "It's a dragon, for god's sake! You don't get dragons as pets!" Apis, combined with the power of Nami's fist, was able to yank the besotted captain off of the dragon.

"Owowowowowow… meanie…" Luffy whined.

"_You are a strange one." _Luffy whipped his head up, pain forgotten.

"Who said that?" Nami lowered her fist, confused.

"Who said what, Luffy?"

"_So, your name is Luffy? It is a pleasing name." _the voice said again. Luffy looked around. Where the hell was that voice coming from? It felt like it was inside his head, but it didn't sound like a god… _"I believe you wanted to keep me a minute ago." _Luffy jerked back in shock, staring at the dragon.

"You can talk!" he screeched. Nami cocked her head as Apis gasped.

"Who are you talking to?"/"you can hear him!" the two exclaimed simultaneously. Luffy nodded.

"What, can't you hear him too, Nami?" Nami shook her head vehemently.

"_I'm lonely." _The dragon murmured softly. Luffy turned back, listening. _"I miss my friends. I want to go home." _Luffy knelt down, looking into the dragon's eye.

"You want to go home, huh?" Luffy stroked the 'bald spot' of thinner and lighter-colored feathers on his crown. "You're lost?" Apis gasped softly, not knowing what to make of the situation. The dragon slowly shifted its gaze to the little girl.

"_This boy… he is nice to me. He is a good person." _It rumbled soundlessly. Apis turned to Luffy.

"Ryuuji says it's okay to be friends with you, Luffy. He says you're a good person." Luffy grinned and tapped his head.

"I already know that! I can hear him too, remember?" Nami whipped back and forth between the teen and the girl, completely lost.

"Luffy, how can you understand Ryuuji?" Apis asked, completely befuddled. Luffy cocked his head.

"What, I'm not supposed to? You can hear him, right?" Apis looked away.

"Well, yes, but…" the proverbial light switch in Nami's brain flicked on.

"It's the devil fruit, isn't it?" Apis gave a start as she spoke. "You have the power of a devil fruit, don't you?" Apis nodded.

"Yep! I ate the hiso hiso (whisper whisper) fruit! After that, I could understand the heart of any animal!" Luffy blinked, the light dawning on him.

"So that's why you were freaked out by Arlong…" Apis looked away.

"… Yeah. Mermen frighten me. They… I can hear their thoughts, their instincts, but I can't feel them… it's so very strange… a merman once visited my home before I ate the fruit, and I wasn't scared of him at all. But then, after I ate the fruit, he came back again, and…"

"You were terrified witless." Luffy finished. "The merging of animal and human was not intended by the natural order, so your power gives you an irrational fear of mermen." Apis nodded.

"But, I also met Ryuuji thanks to the hiso hiso fruit, so it's not all bad! I was out picking flowers for my grandma, when I heard such a sad voice calling out. 'Help me… I want to go home…' it kept saying. I followed it up the mountain, and I found Ryuuji here!" her hand went to Ryuuji's feathers, stroking one absently. "Ryuuji had lost all of his strength and got lost from his nakama. He was searching all alone for the location of the Dragon's Nest, Lost Island."

"Lost island? The island that sank thousands of years ago?" Nami reiterated.

"He says the island is going to rise again. 'it should be about time', he says, but he doesn't remember the location anymore." Apis spoke. Luffy stared at the dilated golden eye of Ryuuji. "He's lost all of his strength and the ability to fly, but he keeps saying, 'I want to go home!"

"_I want to go home… I miss my friends…" _Ryuuji repeated, as if to drive home the point. Luffy noted that it almost sounded like a reflex at this point, like he wasn't truly there saying it.

"I want to do something to help, but I have no idea where the island is! The old legend didn't have any clues, so I accidentally asked some marines that were passing by the island." Luffy's eyes hardened.

'So that's how they tie into all this…' he mused.

"But it was a mistake." Apis confirmed. "They were just after the ryuukotsu."

"The ryuukotsu? The ones that grant eternal youth?" Nami asked. "They kidnapped you because they were after those?"

"Yes. They told me that I had to tell them everything, and they kidnapped me." Apis knelt down to look into Ryuuji's eye. "Probably because I was wearing the claw pendant that Ryuuji gave me."

"So that's why you had an entire fleet chasing you down. You're going a bit out of your league, for a little girl." Apis gently stroked the sagging skin underneath the dragon's eye.

"I know. That's why I'm keeping it a secret from grandpa Bokuden and the others. I can't burden them with this. But I want to get Ryuuji back to his birthplace no matter what!" Ryuuji's eye began to quiver. "That's what you always say, right, Ryuuji? If you return to the dragon's nest, you'll get all better!"

"_I want to go home… I miss my friends…" _Ryuuji repeated listlessly. Luffy looked at the dragon with a pitiful eye.

'Ryuuji… he's sick… his strength to live is almost gone… whatever he's waiting for, he doesn't have much time left to wait…' Apis continued talking, unaware of Luffy's inner conflict.

"No matter how long it takes, I'll find it for you, Ryuuji." She absently stroked one of the beard-like feathers. "No matter what happens to me, Ryuuji, I'll find the dragon's nest for you."

"_I want to go home…" _Ryuuji repeated mournfully. Luffy stepped forward.

"Dragon's nest, huh? Sounds like fun!" Nami gave a start.

"But, Luffy! Weren't you listening! It's an island that sank into the sea!" Luffy grinned.

"I AM the sea!" Apis beamed uncontrollably.

"Thank you! Thank you, Luffy! You hear that, Ryuuji! We can bring you home!" Luffy smirked and flipped up two of the remaining butaman to his hands. He shoved one into his mouth and swallowed instantly, holding out the other to the Sennenryuu.

"Now that that's settled, let's eat!" Ryuuji opened his mouth.

"Oh, Luffy! I forgot to tell you, but…" the dragon's jaw snapped shut, encasing Luffy's entire upper body in its jaw. Apis frowned exasperatedly as Nami gaped incredulously. "Ryuuji's a little bit senile." Luffy's feet flailed about wildly before stilling. A second later, a second Luffy formed in mid-air. The clone began tugging on Luffy's legs while speaking to Nami.

"This is probably going to take a while. Nami, you go fetch the others, they'll probably want to see this for themselves. I'll stay here and try to fish the boss out of this overgrown lizard." Nami, not quite comprehending what she was agreeing to, nodded and began to walk away. Luffy-clone frowned. "On second thought…" both the original and the clone went limp as another body formed in the air. Luffy-clone nodded to Luffy-clone and pointed at Nami. "You follow her back. They might believe this more if you're with. I've gotta fish the boss out from gramps here." The second Luffy-clone snickered.

"You might want more help, there! That thing's got an iron grip on him!" he waved to the clone as a dozen more clones appeared. The thirteen clones yanked as one on the original's leg as the two walked down the mountain.

"Let go of the boss, you senile old coot!"

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"And then… in the 1201th generation…" Bokuden mumbled, head drooped down in peaceful sleep. Nami palmed her face exasperatedly.

"Incredible. He's still talking." Luffy-clone knelt down to Usopp, and the snot bubble from his nose.

"Yo! Wake up!" Luffy poked the bubble, creating a loud 'POP!' not unlike a cap gun. Usopp jerked up out of his seat, screeching.

"Okay, I'm up!" he yelped. Zoro's face twitched as he slowly worked his way back to consciousness.

"What? Morning already?" Sanji stretched his arms, yawning loudly.

"That geezer's story was so long, we fell asleep here." Kuro worked himself out of his awkward sleeping position. Awkward, because of the clingy Alvida attached to his leg.

"Mmm… Luffy-sama… be gentle…" she murmured. Kuro arched an eyebrow.

"Do I even want to know?" gin cracked an eye open, spotted the two, and immediately closed it.

"I know I certainly don't." he righted himself, and grinned. "Oh, who am I kidding? She won't be able to forget this for months!" Luffy-clone prodded the sleeping woman with the point of his toe.

"Yo. Wake up." Prod. "Wake up." Prod. "Wake up." Prod. Alvida moaned and swatted sleepily at the offending limb. "I'm going to keep doing this until you wake up." Prod. Alvida snarled and slammed a fist down on the object.

"For god's sake, I'm having a good dream!" she yelled. Her eyes widened and she scrambled away, however, when the owner of the foot became clear. "Captain! I- I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"

"Well, at least you're awake. That's a point in your favor." The door to the cottage slammed open, and a male villager stood in the doorway, panting.

"Bokuden-san! Where's Apis!" Alvida stood up, and the man spewed hearts. "Aahh…! Beautiful!" Luffy-clone melted his arm and splashed the liquid into the man's face.

"Get a grip, man! Pay attention!" the man shook his head, coming back to reality.

"You guys are pirates, right? There's a whole fleet of marine ships docking at the harbor right now!" Luffy-clone and company gasped.

"They're still after Apis? Guys just don't give up!" gin cracked his neck. "Whoever's in charge has too much time on his hands!" Nami waved them towards the back door.

"We know why. Follow us! We'll show you!" Sanji leaped up to his feet in an instant, completely alert.

"Yes, Nami-swan!" Usopp looked at the sleeping elder.

"But, what about him?" Nami frowned.

"Umm… we'll just let him rest here for now." She looked back up at the villager, who looked dangerously tempted to stare at Alvida a bit more. "Hey!" the man jerked back his attention to her. "If Bokuden-san wakes up, tell him, that we're going to protect Apis." He nodded.

"O-okay." Gin's eyes widened and he jerked from his seat.

"Oh, shit! Guys! Arlong's still guarding the boat! He can't take on an entire fleet by himself! He'd get massacred!" Luffy-clone's eyes widened.

"SHIT! Oh, damn, what do we do!" he snapped his fingers. "Alvida! You slide down there and get Arlong! Try and get the ship out of there if you can!" Alvida nodded.

"Yes, captain!" she leaped up, whipping her sandals off her feet. "sube-sube slider!" she slid down the relatively steep hill, balancing on the balls of her feet.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Sir! Their ship is docked off to starboard!" a lookout shouted down to the marine captain aboard. Shosa nodded.

"Good! I want a landing party accompanying me to Gunkan Island! Be sure to seize their ship!" Arlong looked up from the fruity drink in his hand. He frowned.

"Damn. Just my luck, getting a marine fleet on my shift…" he shifted out of his lawn-chair, picking up the kiribachi next to him. He grinned toothily. "Well, then! I'll just have to give them a show, won't I? The straw hat pirates won't lose the ship because of me! SHARK ON SAW!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"GUAAAAAHH…" Usopp's jaw hung down by his crotch.

"Ghhhh!" Sanji's face was a cross between stunned disbelief and how-the-fuck-can-something-get-this-big.

"Aw, shit…" gin swore. His face was of complete fear.

"Guhhh…" you couldn't even tell what Zoro's face was. Nami grinned. Apis climbed up on Ryuuji's head from behind.

"Yo, everyone!" she waved. Luffy laughed and climbed up behind her.

"You wouldn't believe how fun it is to slide down this guy's tail! It's wicked crazy!" Nami smiled, immensely pleased with their reactions.

"Gentlemen, it's just like grandpa Bokuden said. A legendary Sennenryuu." Luffy laughed and leaped down from atop the dragon's head.

"Yeah! Isn't he the coolest thing ever!"

"It's not like he's yours!" Nami snapped. Luffy pouted.

"Awww… why not?"

"So, when you get closer to the grand line, you see things like this?" Zoro muttered to Sanji. Sanji was too stunned to even light a cigarette.

"We saw those sea kings from before, but this doesn't look like one of those…" gin muttered, staring at the giant golden eye. The eye rolled around and met the gaze. Gin shuddered and looked away. "Jeez… the grand line's a freaky place, if there's weirder stuff than this… no wonder we were wiped out…"

"Are… are you sure it's tame?" Usopp mumbled, his words garbled by his free-hanging jaw. Ryuuji lifted his head and stuck his nose directly touching Usopp's. His maw opened, and his massive tongue scraped along Usopp's face, scaring the ever-bajeezus out of him. Apis crawled forward on the beast's head.

"Oh! Sometimes he gets a bit senile! If he thinks you're food, he'll try and eat you!" CHOMP!

"TOO LATE!" Usopp screamed, trapped in the quasi-unwavering power of the dragon's front teeth. Luffy leaned forward, closer to Usopp's trapped sideways body.

"It doesn't hurt at all, right? He almost doesn't know how to chew anymore!" Usopp merely squirmed about in the grip, trying to pry himself loose. Luffy laughed uproariously. "Hahaha! You look like a trout~!"

"A-a-are you just going to stand there! Get me out!"

"Let's just let him eat him."

"Zoroooooooo…" Usopp moaned.

"You better not; he'll give you food poisoning."

"Shut up, love cook!"

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Alvida finished her ski-like slide down the hill, leaping up to the deck of the going merry with club in hand. "Arlong!"

"Kama Kama no KAMAITACHI!" a voice shouted out. The charging merman was blasted to the side of the marine boat, body covered with massive gashes, head lolling at an unnatural angle. Alvida gasped. Erik pushed up his wire-thin glasses, grinning. "Take him down to the hold, and lock him up in the thickest chains you have. If that is the strongest they have, then the straw hat pirates will fall easily." Sousa growled.

"Weak! WEAK! That man took out all of my men and damn near destroyed this ship! And he was only on for a minute! If you intend to cause this much trouble to my fleet, then I suggest you-" the mercenary held up a clawed hand.

"I come with all the authority of commodore nelson himself. Do you dare suggest that you can order your commanding officer around?" Sousa growled but said nothing. Erik grinned and kicked the prone and bloody body of a conscript. "Get more men from one of your other ships. And clean up the trash, it's making me sick." He turned and stalked inside the cabin, filing his nails to an even sharper point. Alvida bit her lip in worry.

"Arlong's been captured! That gay-looking guy is no average marine! I can't take on a man like that on my own!" Sousa turned away from the cabin, only to stare directly at Alvida. He gasped and pointed a finger at her.

"You!" he shouted. Alvida whirled around and gasped. "Beautiful…!" the worry melted from her face and she smirked.

"Sleep now."

"Whuh!"

WHAM!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What the marines want is… this Sennenryuu." Nami proclaimed to the gathering before her. Usopp crouched behind a stalagmite, sending panicky glances at the snorting Sennenryuu and quivering in fear. "The truth is, after thinking it over, is that we've decided to take the Sennenryuu back to the lost island."

"You can't be serious!" Usopp shouted, popping his head out from behind the rock formation. "The marines are closing in! It was hard enough getting away by ourselves, but with something that big-"

"Ryuuji…" Apis interrupted. "Really wants to go home! So…"

"Oh, yeah, and I bet Luffy said, 'sure! I'll take you there!' or made some other stupid promise!"

"Yep! That's what I said!" Luffy grinned, sitting atop a pillar of stone. Usopp did a double-take and screamed.

"But we don't have any idea where the island is! How're we supposed to get there!"

"It'll work out."

"No it won't!" Apis absently stroked the bald spot atop Ryuuji's head.

"Ryuuji thinks that if he gets to his birthplace, he'll get better." Usopp merely gaped.

"Animals have instincts. The Sennenryuu may be able to tell us something." Nami stated. Luffy grinned.

"Yeah! There's this one bird that shanks told me about, on this one island, that no matter what, always has its beak pointing south! And if a bird can be a compass, then I'm pretty sure a dragon can find its way home!" Usopp merely moaned.

"But how…?"

"It'll work out somehow." Said Zoro as he shifted his katanas into a more comfortable position. Sanji lit a nicotine stick.

"But what should we do with him? Just bringing him down the mountain will attract attention." Gin smirked and twirled his tonfa.

"Just let me at 'em. I'll clear the way for us." Nami also smirked.

"You do that, Gin. But first, we'll need a cart. One big enough for Ryuuji to ride on." Usopp felt his blood grow cold, and he pulled at his face.

"_Oh, come on, Usopp-kun! It's not that bad! You can just snipe anybody who gets near!" _Sogeking reassured him, after weeks of silence. Usopp, against his better judgment, felt better after that. Luffy leaped off of the pillar and whooped.

"Let's do it!"

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"FIRE!" shouted the gunnery sergeant. Alvida cursed as she whipped the steering wheel to the side, narrowly missing the deadly barrage of iron.

"dammit! That guy came to too fast! If they keep this up, I'm sunk!" Alvida bit her lip. "What do I do…? I can't steer this as well as I would like…! And I couldn't do a thing for the merman… I can't do anything!"

"FIRE!" the barrage fired yet again. Alvida whirled around and stared at the marine ship.

"No!"

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"You think she needs help down there?" gold roger asked, staring down at the going merry pursued by the fleet. Luffy looked p from slicing through a grove of trees, the broken lumber falling noisily to the ground.

"Oh, damn. You're right, they're running her down. She could escape them if she knew how to steer well, but…"

"This is her first time doing anything on the ship." Roger finished. Luffy wiped his nose.

"Guess you were right when you said she was going to be eye-candy." Roger snorted.

"The funny thing is, I don't even remember saying that."

"Really? That's what you said before."

"Pssh. I don't remember the details."

"…and you're the one I'm trusting my memory to? Come to think of it, you didn't remember that Garp was my grandpa!"

"… I don't remember the little things?" Luffy facepalmed.

"I knew it. I just knew you were too senile to be trusted." Gold roger puffed up indignantly.

"HEY! I'll have you know that I'm perfectly young! I just don't remember things that aren't in front of me, slapping me in the face!"

"Like all the women you screw?" Luffy quipped.

"I should hit you for that." Gold roger snapped his fingers. "Speaking of women! Aren't you going to help Alvida?" Luffy blinked and did a double-take. The marine ship had caught up to the boat even more.

"Dammit roger! This is what happens when you start one of your tangents!" he waved his hand, and a water clone formed out of thin air. "Get down there and help her out! Alvida's not going to hold out much longer!" the clone snapped a salute.

"Yes sir, boss!" the Luffy-clone leaped up into the air and melted. The original watched at the thick water droplets soared through the air to the ship. Luffy grinned and raised his blade again. Water gathered around the edge as he swung horizontally.

"Mizu Mizu no BOOMERANG!" with that cry, he released the blade, water arcing out as it spun wildly. The blade and the watery extension sliced through the trees like a hot knife through butter, easily leveling the grove of trees. Hasshoudou swung back across its arc, and Luffy snatched it out of the air. He grinned.

"Now THAT is a kick-ass move!"

"Show-off…" gin muttered as he flicked the tonfa twice. The weapon indicator switched to yellow. He grinned. "How about this, captain!" he pulled the triggers, and the cannonballs shot out. The only difference was the serrated chain attached to it. With a whirl, Gin spun around, slicing through the trees. With another pull of the triggers, the cannonballs slammed back into the base. Gin smirked. "I call it, the chain-whip!"

"Of course those two would have a pissing contest." Nami face-palmed. She watched as the other two powerhouses sliced and kicked, respectively through the trees. They quickly piled up the timbers into even pyramids. Nami grinned and pinched her fingers together. "Perfect!"

"Guess I've got no choice but to help now. Conniving woman…" Usopp grumbled.

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Alvida!" Luffy-clone shouted as he materialized onto the going merry. Alvida gasped and flinched.

"Luffy!" she shouted. Luffy edged her out of the steering wheel.

"No, his clone. He sent me when he saw you were in a pinch. Hang on to something!" he whipped the steering wheel to the side while summoning a wave from the sea. The ship rode the crest away from the pursuers, around the side of the island. "For a newbie on this ship, you're doing okay with steering. Though you screwed up at the beginning, when you tried to shake them off with that one-eighty. That just gave them a chance to catch up, not to mention an opportunity to broadside you. You never really recovered after that." Alvida wilted. Luffy-clone grinned. "But hey! It's alright! You didn't steer on your ship, did you?"

"No… I had one of my underlings do it…" Alvida mumbled.

"Then it's alright for your first time!" he canceled the wave and expertly rode the currents around the island. "Time to get in position!"

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"This is perfect for Ryuuji to ride on!" Apis exclaimed joyfully. Usopp eyed his handiwork, the massive cart made of the tree trunks.

"Crude, but effective!" he finally diagnosed. Luffy stomped on top of the cart.

"Sturdy, too!" he waved his hand, and twenty clones formed. "Go get Ryuuji and load him on the cart! And for god's sake, be careful! He's old!"

"Yes, boss!" the clones marched into the cave. Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"But, what are we going to do about the marines in the harbor? What about the ship?" Luffy grinned.

"I've got it covered!" he pointed at the ocean. "See that cape that looks like Usopp's nose? I've got the ship circling around to there." Gin peered down and laughed.

"Well, I'll be damned! It IS Usopp's nose! Hahaha!"

"Shut up…"

"When it's down there, we can just roll Ryuuji down to the sea and attach him to the ship! Then we can tow him along to Lost Island! Brilliant, if I do say so myself!" Luffy brushed his finger under his nose, grinning in pride. Nami nodded.

"That's actually not a bad idea! Good job, Luffy!"

"Well, I'm not an idiot, so I could come up with it!"

'_You sure about that, Luffy?'_

'Shut up, roger.' Kuro pushed up his glasses and peered down the mountainside.

"Well, I hope it works. Because we've got company." Luffy gave a start and stared where the strategist was pointing, at a platoon of marines trudging up the mountainside. He swore.

"Damn! They weren't supposed to get here this fast! How'd they find us?" Kuro pointed at the groove in the ground. Luffy slapped his face. "Dammit… the same way we found Apis… Usopp, can you snipe them down?"

"Uh… no. they're coming up from behind one of those outcrops." Usopp squinted. "I can't get them as long as they're behind that thing." Luffy growled.

"And by the time they come out, they're right on top of us… dammit! Usopp, you stay here! Shoot anybody who gets too close! Kuro, Zoro, you watch Apis and Ryuuji! Name, watch for the ship! Gin, Sanji, come with me! We're gonna flush 'em out!" gin cracked his knuckles.

"Direct and to the point. I like it! Let's go!" the three charged forward. Luffy sliced forward, slashing through the rock protecting the marines.

"USOPP!"

"Got it!" the sniper shouted, pulling and releasing rapidly. Sanji shot forward, smashing through the soldiers, Gin finishing off whoever he missed. Erik grimaced at the quickly decimated forces.

"So much for the marines. When you want something done right…" he trailed off, stepping ahead of Sousa. A marine who somehow didn't have every bone in his body broken stumbled to his feet and shambled down the hill, into the path of Erik. Erik merely slashed his hand across the man's torso, and he fell to the ground, dead. Gin's eyes narrowed.

"A knife?" he asked. Luffy, after a moment, shook his head.

"Don't think so. Whoever this guy is, he's stronger than these flunkies." Erik flicked a speck of blood off his immaculate suit and continued with his stroll, a hand in his pocket.

"My name is Erik the Whirlwind. A mercenary under the employ of Nelson Royale. I have no interest in you lowly pirates. My only concern is that girl you're protecting. Or…" he trailed off, staring at Ryuuji, who had suddenly lifted his head, proving his existence. "The Sennenryuu she's protecting. If you oppose me, then you shall taste the power of the Kama Kama fruit."

"What's he talking about? Kama Kama?" Sanji muttered.

"Okama?" Luffy offered.

"I don't get it." Gin cocked his head, all three ignoring the mercenary, who was still talking. Luffy looked backwards.

"Nami! How long?" Nami looked up from protectively hugging Apis.

"Not too long!" she shouted, staring at the rapidly approaching ship.

"Good, 'cause I want to get out of here!"

"Being able to see the ocean from so far away, Nami-san is so wonderful~!" Sanji crooned.

"Well, you guys get ready!" Erik quickly realized he was being ignored, and his face turned bright red.

"OI! YOU RIFFRAFF!" Luffy turned to look at the mercenary.

"It's Erik the gay man, right? I heard you the first time."

"Really? I heard Erik the Bike man." Said Gin.

"Bike man? Where the hell did that come from?"

"That's why I'm wondering why you're talking about gay guys!"

"He said okama. He's Erik the gay man."

"OOOOOOOH! I get it!"

"NOOOOOO!" Erik screamed. "Not the 'Kama' in okama! The Kama Kama in Kamaitachi!"

"They're both Kama, right?" Luffy said wisely. "I don't care either way!" Sanji rubbed his brow.

"Its logic like that that pisses so many people off…" Erik trembled in barely suppressed rage.

"You will regret angering me…" he said in a quiet voice. Luffy's eyes hardened.

"I think we pissed him off."

"Kama Kama no…" he hissed a sound not unlike a rattlesnake while twitching his pointer and middle finger in a similar fashion. "WHIRLWIND!" he sliced forward, winds blasting forward. Luffy's eyes shot open as his body melted multiple times, as if tiny blades raced across his skin. The winds carved out the rocks behind him.

"What the!" Sanji clutched his bleeding shoulder.

"I get it. He means 'kamaitachi'." Gin clapped a hand over his bleeding neck.

"Damn. A devil fruit user… this could get ugly." Erik chuckled.

"The wind I create is as sharp as a named blade. Tearing a person limb from limb is child's play." He laughed maliciously as Apis looked up to Nami worriedly.

"Are they ready yet?" she asked. Nami shook her head.

"Not yet!"

"Now, step aside. Hand over the Sennenryuu." Erik ordered.

"Like hell!" Luffy rebuffed. Erik raised his fingers.

"My Kama Kama no whirlwind… want another?"

"Can we go yet, Nami-san?" Apis pleaded. Nami pumped her fist.

"Yes! They're ready! We're leaving! Sanji-kun, Luffy, gin!" Luffy whirled around and raced up the mountain, Sanji and gin close behind. Erik did a double take.

"What?"

"Yes, Nami-swan~! We'll be right there!" Zoro set his foot against the mountain, hands on the back of the cart.

"Heave-ho!" he cried out, shoving the cart forward. The three jumped onto the cart as it shot forward, Luffy laughing hilariously.

"WHOO-HOO!" he cried out. Apis merely screamed in terror.

"You won't escape!" Erik shouted. Usopp drew back his slingshot.

"Killing move! Exploding star!" he fired it straight into Erik's face.

"Kama Kama no WHIRLWIND!" he shouted, blasting the pellet to the side. He leaped into the air as the cart whipped underneath him. As he landed, he readjusted his glasses. "You won't escape."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Apis screamed. "There's a boulder in the way!"

"Luffy!" Nami shouted. He whipped back his fist.

"Gomu Gomu no GATLING GUN!" the constant barrage of fists utterly destroyed the boulder as it exploded into fragments. Sanji pumped his leg like a piston as he smashed the larger chunks. Usopp clung to Ryuuji's head as he screamed just as loud as Apis.

"WAAAAAHH!" the two screamed. "THIS IS NUTS!" Apis shouted. Luffy just laughed harder.

"That's just the way we roll!" he laughed, before his head exploded into water by an overhanging tree branch. "Damn! That would've hurt!"

"Moron! Then don't stick your head up there!" gin shook his head. "How'd I get roped in with a moron captain?"

"You get used to it, gin." Kuro said, the calmest one of the bunch. He easily slipped his glasses into his coat pocket. "It takes a while, though." Apis looked around, taking in the absurdity of the situation.

"Heheheh… hahahahahaha! YAHOO!" Luffy laughed just as hard as she did. "YAHOO!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Alright, we're at the cape. The others should be here any second." Luffy-clone looked over at the approaching ship. "This could get ugly, though." Alvida hefted her club.

"Think we can hold them off?" Luffy-clone shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe you could flash them or something. Maybe that'd knock 'em all out." Alvida's face lit up, and she swung the club straight through the clone's head.

"IDIOT! Like hell I'm doing that for some strangers!"

"Hey, it was a suggestion!" he countered as the ship pulled up right beside them. "But, looks like the choice is out of our hands, now."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" Alvida screamed. The cart shot out from the cape as it went airborne. The marine ship took a collective gasp as it slammed into the main mast, collapsing it into the water. Ryuuji and company skipped through the water like a stone before slowing to a stop. "THAT was your idea!"

"Yeah! Looks like it worked, too!" Luffy-clone grinned. "We got Ryuuji out AND it scuttled the pursuers! I like it! My work here is done!" and with that, he melted away.

"PURSUE! PURSUE THAT SHIP!" the sergeant in charge screamed.

"The mast is in the way! We can't moooove!"

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"Hey, Alvida. Where's Arlong?" Luffy asked as they finished tying Ryuuji's raft to the going merry. The woman gasped.

"That's right! Captain, he was captured by the marines! He was protecting the ship, and this gay-looking guy with gelled hair beat him!" Luffy's eyes widened.

"What! Why didn't you tell me this WHILE we were still by the marine ship! Dammit, Alvida!" Alvida looked down, tears forming in her eyes.

"I-I-I'm sorry, captain… I can't do anything right…" Zoro shifted himself up from his sitting position.

"Well, what are we going to do now? We can't just leave him there… he's one of us." Nami gave him the evil eye.

"Why not? He deserves it." Luffy pulled at his face.

"Dammit, the one thing that doesn't happen before and this all happens!" he rubbed his forehead. "Well, we can't go back to the marines, not with Ryuuji in tow. We could've rescued him while Erik was still on the mountain, but now…"

"So we keep moving." Kuro finished. "We get the Sennenryuu to lost island, so he can recover. Once he is no longer a liability, we can rescue Arlong without dividing our forces. The marines have also made it clear they want the dragon, so they will also more than likely follow us. We could also rescue Arlong then." Luffy, after some deliberation, nodded.

"You're right. They probably won't kill him, not while there's still a chance to use him as a hostage. We can get Ryuuji to lost island first." Apis smiled, though with a tint of worry.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I've put you guys through…" Luffy smiled.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll handle it." He cracked his neck. "Now, to see where this lost island is…" he stomped the ship down, and a pulse of water shot out. He blinked. "Whoa! Hey, Apis! Was Gunkan Island formed from a volcano?" Apis cocked her head.

"A volcano? I don't know… grandpa Bokuden never mentioned it… why?" Luffy shook his head to clear the cobwebs.

"Because there is something MASSIVE underneath Gunkan Island. I just figure it's an underwater volcano or something. At any rate, it's screwing with my sonar. I can't tell where lost island is."

"So, what? We just pick a direction and stick with it?" Usopp asked. Luffy shrugged.

"I guess." He quickly started grinning again. "Oh, well! Let's go! To LOST ISLAND!"

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And, I AM FINALLY DONE! 'Choir of angels sings'

Thank you so much for all the people who sent me encouragement during this trying time in my life. The police haven't gotten back to us yet with any evidence, but I'm still hoping.

And before any of you ask, I'll explain Alvida's apparent personality 180. Pre-straw hat crew, all she had going for her was her beauty, (and pre-Luffy, she didn't even have that) but that was really all she needed. She could pretty much order around whoever she wanted, because she was hot enough to get away with it. But then she finds someone who she not only likes, but is immune to her charms; namely, Luffy. Now, when she actually has to pull her weight and isn't able to order anybody around to do it (Sanji doesn't count) she finds herself screwing up all the time. She's going through the young hot pirate equivalent of a mid-life crisis. So, there's my reasoning.

And Arlong's defeat: one, he took on an entire ship of marines. He pulled through that, but he's new to the straw hats, so he doesn't have the freakish stamina yet. (Lol, it's infectious) then, he fights a devil fruit user, which is bad in and of itself, but a skilled devil fruit user to boot. He's tired from the big battle, and he fights that guy. He'd get his ass kicked.

And if you guys haven't noticed, I love throwing in subtle (or not so subtle) fourth wall breakages. They're so much fun!

Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	24. Mirages, Lost Island And Yorick

Hey, guys! I want to get this over with real fast, so no author's notes this time! Not too much to say, anyways… bored with this arc now, but I will persevere! It's vital to the storyline, too…

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Disclaimer: I don't own. I couldn't even dream of coming up with the kind of plot twists oda does… ('')

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Erik watched with condescending amusement as the marines scrambled to raise the broken mast to its rightful position. Sousa watched with anger. "Damn. Those pirates run away faster than expected." Erik adjusted his glasses, smirking.

"It matters not. We have a lead." He turned to one of the few marines that wasn't working. "Take me to the prisoner." The man flinched and nodded.

"Yes, sir!" he turned and ran into the hold, the mercenary leisurely following behind.

Deeper and deeper into the hold they went, until the holding bay came into sight. Erik smirked and beat a trail for the only occupied cell. Inside, Arlong sat, body covered in blood, hands, feet and neck covered in six-inch thick chains. Erik smirked. "I trust your stay is… comfortable?" Arlong looked up, eyes narrowed in undisguised hatred.

"It's scum like you that makes me hate humans." He growled. Erik was unfazed.

"Perhaps we can… reach an agreement, saw-tooth Arlong. Tell me where your little friends ran off to, and I will do what I can to see you freed." Arlong laughed, flecks of blood dotting the air.

"'all he can', he says. Those are loaded words, and you know it. You wouldn't do shit to help. I know your type, mercenary." Erik scowled and swiped his hand across the air. Arlong hissed in pain as a new wound opened on his chest.

"Tell me, where they took the Sennenryuu." Arlong laughed.

"Ha! A Sennenryuu, he says. A little fairy tale mermen parents tell their children before they sleep. I don't know about you, bastard, but I don't believe in fairy tales. And even if it were true…" his eyes slitted into a berserker rage. "You would never get me to betray my king!" he leaped up, hands outstretched to throttle Erik. He reached an inch from his throat…

Before the length ran out, and Arlong snapped back. "GRRR! LET ME OUT! I'LL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL! LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU DO YOUR MAGIC WITH YOUR HEAD MISSING!" the links attaching the chains to the walls groaned and creaked, straining to the limit. Erik leaped backwards as with a final groan, the place-holders broke from the wall, and Arlong lurched forward. With a quick slash in the air, the merman was blasted against the opposing wall, still and unmoving. Erik scowled and picked up his fallen glasses.

"Barbaric species. Someone needs to hunt them all down." He turned and walked away. "No matter. They go to lost island. All we need to do is track them." He slammed the door shut, drenching the cell block in darkness.

Amid the darkness, a pair of yellow eyes opened. "He needs to check when someone is knocked out. My hands are free… soon, the rest will follow!"

Erik walked into the communications room and spotted the officer typing away at a den-den-mushi machine. He quickly walked over and cut the communication. "A report to admiral nelson? I don't think that is necessary."

"b-but, sir!" the man stuttered as the snail slowly drifted off into sleep. Erik smirked and walked out of the room.

'I've spent my whole life looking for the ryuukotsu, the elixir of eternal youth. I'll not hand them over to that disgusting Nelson Royale. I will keep it for myself. And Erik the Whirlwind shall become invincible.'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Commodore nelson growled and furiously pumped the fan in his hand. "Where is it?" the five marines always at his command gulped. A sixth marine ran forward, holding a platter of food on an elevating stick.

"Your food? Here."

"Shut up!" he shouted, slapping the roasted meat to the ground. "That's not what I want." Another marine ran up and saluted.

"Admiral Nelson!"

"Oh, I've been waiting for this! You have Erik's report?" nelson grinned, fat cheeks warbling with every word.

"No, it's a report from one of the marines operating at Gunkan Island. Erik has found one of the Sennenryuu." The fan in nelson's hand snapped shut. "Currently, due to damage to their flagship, the entire fleet in engaged in repairs." The fan crinkled and crushed in nelson's hand.

"Erik…" he growled. "Why didn't you tell me you had found a Sennenryuu!" the crumpled fan snapped back open. "Do you intend to keep the ryuukotsu for yourself!" the fan lowered again. "Then again, he is a mercenary after all." His eyes narrowed, and he chuckled obesely. "Have the main fleet set a course for Gunkan Island immediately! All ships, disembark!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Schools of flying fish leapt up along the hull of the going merry. Luffy sat next to the elderly Ryuuji, absently stroking his plumage. "According to my maps… there aren't any islands that are anywhere near Gunkan island." Nami squinted at the parchment in her hand, holding it up to the light. Alvida snorted.

"It's called 'lost island' for a reason." Nami glared at her.

"Shut up, airhead." Usopp inched away from the brewing brawl and leaned over the rail.

"Oi, grandpa dragon! Where are we supposed to go?" Ryuuji merely stared at the school of fish. His vision blurred, and the blue, scaled fish turned green, grew feathers, and crowed their defiance at the sky. Luffy inched into his vision, blocking the sight of long-gone friends. Nothing was said between the two as they merely stared.

"Hey." Luffy finally said. Ryuuji closed his eye.

"_Leave me. I grow tired, and my memory fades."_ Luffy nodded and rubbed his head gently.

"You do that, Ryuuji." He looked up at the gathered crew. "He's dozed off again. He can't remember anything." Usopp and Zoro 'hrmm'ed in annoyance.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Apis cried out, running up the stairs with a black pot in her hand. "Lunch is ready!" Zoro, Usopp, Nami and Alvida sweat dropped in worry.

"More of her cooking…?" Zoro muttered.

"I wasn't 'waiting' for this…" Usopp replied.

"Do we have to?" Alvida whispered. Nami just chuckled nervously. Apis giggled happily as she ran towards them, Sanji following close behind. Usopp laughed happily.

"Oo-hoo-hoo! Sanji! Yeah, great~! You made the food today!" Apis' face grew consternated, and she 'accidentally' stepped on Usopp's foot as she walked to the rail. "YEEOUCH!"

"Ryuuji!" she held up her mitten-clad hands and set the pot on the rail. "Eat up!" Luffy looked up and grinned.

"Thanks! I'll help him with that!" he stretched out and grabbed the pot and yanked it down. Only when it was airborne did he feel the pain. "YEEAAAAAAGH! HOT!" he screamed as he released the pot.

"ARGH! YOU DUMBASS!" Sanji screamed. The pot flipped in the air and landed directly on Ryuuji's crown. For a second, there was nothing…

Before the crown grew boiling-red. Ryuuji's eyes shot wide open, addled with pain and sleep. Luffy swished his hands around in the air, before melting his arms away. "HOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!"

"Ryuuji!" Apis screamed as she slid down the ropes attaching the raft. "Ryuuji, are you okay!"

"_My friends…!" _Ryuuji whispered, eyes wide open, staring at an unseen force. Feathers floated through the air. A flock of Sennenryuu flew to the east, steadily with a FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! They flew away, away from him like before, flying home with a FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! _"My friends…! Come back…!"_ he whispered, unheard amongst the steady FLAP! FLAP! FLAP! In his mind.

"Ryuuji. Ryuuji, are you okay?" Apis continue to brush the spilled food off his crown. The dragon's eyes slowly closed to their regular half-awake look, as his single, golden eye circled around to her.

"_Apis… my friends… they were flying…" _he said with absolute clarity. Apis blinked and turned to him. Luffy just continued to stare at him as he talked.

"Good grief, you wasted all the food I made special for him." Sanji grumbled.

"You can just make more, right?" Usopp offered.

"What have I told you about wasting food?"

"_My friends… they were flying… flying to the east of here…" _Ryuuji whispered, before closing his eyes in sleep. Luffy and Apis cried out in joy simultaneously.

"We've got it!" they shouted as one. "Lost island is to the east!" Luffy shouted.

"Ryuuji remembered!" Apis shouted. The two danced around happily, having fun and generally making fools of themselves. Nami raced down the stairs towards the helm. "YAHOO! Set a course for lost island!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, they've changed course?" Erik spoke softly as he set his fine silver cutlery to his plate, wiping his mouth. The conscript nodded.

"Yes, sir! Their ship seems to have altered course to the region east of Gunkan Island!" Erik grinned, his glasses glinting in the sunlight.

"They're making their move."

Up on top of the deck, the world had exploded into organized chaos. Sousa stood at the helm, barking out orders. "Face all ships east! Full speed ahead! We must eliminate all distance between us and the straw hat pirates! Artillery squad, man the cannons! Unit leaders, prepare to command your units! Our course is…"

"Lost island." Erik whispered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Here, Zoro." Sanji finished wiping off a plate and handed it to Zoro.

"Mm."

"Here, Zoro."

"Mm."

"Here, Zoro."

"Mm."

"Zo-ro."

"Mm."

"Here, Zoro." Mentioned swordsman turned to the cook.

"You don't have to keep saying that, you know."

Luffy looked over his shoulder from his perch on merry's head to see gin despondently chucking a knife at a single point at his feet. Luffy stood and walked over. "Something the matter, gin?" he pried the knife from the woodwork and threw it back there again. THUNK!

"Just… kind of lonely." THUNK! "I used to pride myself on having a heart of stone, and not caring about anyone." THUNK! "And now, maybe a week after you guys, I've probably made more friends here than I have throughout the rest of my life." THUNK! "And now, probably the best one out of all of them…" Luffy looked away.

"Arlong." THUNK!

"Yeah. The most infuriating thing is that except for me, it's almost like nobody notices that he's gone." THUNK! "Why the hell is the demon the only one who cares that he's gone?" with that cry of frustration, he whirled around and chucked the dagger into the mast. Luffy pried the weapon from the wood and balanced it on his finger by the point.

"I care that he's gone." Gin gave a start. "No matter what misgivings I have about the decision, he's part of the crew now. And I take care of those that are in my crew. So yeah, I am worried that he's gone. But Arlong is tough. He didn't earn a bounty of thirty-seven million by being a wuss. He can take care of himself for a little bit longer." He slapped the blade into his palm and held out the hilt to gin. "Once Ryuuji is better, I'm going to be raising some serious hell for the marines." Gin smiled and accepted the dagger back.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Luffy settled back down on the figurehead, only to blink. "Huh?"

Zoro squinted out through the porthole of the kitchen, scowling at the rapidly approaching black specks on the horizon. "They followed us…"

"Captain?" gin asked. Luffy pointed at a black shimmer seemingly floating on the water.

"The hell is that?" Luffy asked. Gin leaned out on the rail, thinking.

"Smoke… maybe?"

"If there's smoke, then where's the fire?" Luffy scratched his head.

"Hmm… let's get closer, then we'll figure it out."

"OH COME OOOOOON!" Apis yelled, hanging over the rail of the back of the boat, screaming at Ryuuji. "I do NOT think you're a bother!" Nami and Usopp, who were up in the crow's nest, watched with some bemusement.

"Looks like Apis is having a fight." Usopp noted.

"Looks more like she's just making herself mad." Nami corrected as Apis continued to scream herself blue in the face. ("It's not fair for you to keep quiet! SAY SOMETHING!")

"Think we should stop her before-?" Usopp asked as he turned around.

Luffy and gin scratched their heads in one unified motion, staring at the more defined image. "Is it… a ship?" gin asked. Luffy shrugged.

"I dunno. Something's screwy about it, if it's a boat." Luffy slowly reached out a toe to touch the mystery shadow. The ship slowly inched forward, as did Luffy's toe…

Until the two connected. The shadow rippled outwards from the contact, shimmering and gaining definition and color. Luffy pulled his toe back like it had been burned. "What the hell?" the shadow finally finished shimmering, and if staring in a mirror, the going merry, with all of her crew, was reflected in the un-shadow. The going merry continued to sail forward, into the reflection. Wherever it touched the shadow, the going merry shimmered and disappeared. "NAMI! WHAT THE SHIT IS GOING ON?"

"I-I-I'm looking at it…" Nami stuttered, her face and Usopp's as blue as Luffy's pants. Luffy slid into the shadow, yelling.

"Zoro! Sanji! GET YOUR ASSES OUT HEre…" his voice trailed off as he completely disappeared. Gin screamed.

"THE FUCK HAPPENED? HE DISSAPEAred…" he too, was sucked into the mirror. Nami could hold it back no longer. She screamed with all her might. Zoro and Sanji burst out of the kitchen, respective weapons drawn/cocked.

"Nami-SAN!" Sanji screamed, before trailing off at the mirror image. "The hell is that!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The pair of binoculars in Sousa's hands clattered to the ground, completely forgotten. The entire crew of the marine flagship stared with terrified fascination at the sight in front of them.

"The straw hat ship…!" he stuttered as the pirate ship seemingly slid into nothing… and disappeared. "IT DISSAPEARED!" he whirled around to the crow's nest. "What happened! How did they disappear!"

"We don't know! Unknown, sir!" the sentry shouted back. Sousa growled before waving his hand.

"All ships, full stop! Do not advance without further orders!"

"Continue the course." Erik said plainly. Sousa whirled on him.

"Don't be stupid! We don't know what lies in that ocean!" Erik 'hmph'ed.

"This again? The reason you lost them to the calm belt." He turned and walked away. "Very well, get me a rowboat." Sousa blinked.

"Wait… you're…"

"Exactly. I will go alone." Beneath the shadows of the deck, directly below Erik, Arlong smirked.

'That's what you think, devil man…'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What? Fog? What is this?" Zoro whipped his head about, confusedly. Sanji was in a similar state of perplexity.

"I saw the ship in front of us, and then… we kind of dove straight into it. And now, fog?" Luffy scowled.

'Roger… did you feel that?'

'_You bet I did. That… whatever the hell that was, was saturated with god-magic. Whatever that was, someone upstairs is using it to hide something big.' _Nami slapped her fist into her palm.

"That's it! It was a mirage! I read about it in one of my navigation books! When warm sea water and cold sea water mix, mirages can form on the sea!" Alvida stumbled out of the women's quarters, yawning.

"Something happen?" she asked groggily. Sanji was all over her.

"Alvida-chwaaan! I will protect you from the fearsome mirages anytime~~!" she blinked and straightened up.

"We hit a mirage? And now this?" she looked around at the rapidly clearing fog. Seconds later, rain pelted the deck, soaking all of the inhabitants. Usopp stared forward, uncomprehending.

"And is this a mirage, too?" he asked, mouth completely separate from his brain. Nami twitched before screaming her frustrations.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS OCEAN!" she shrieked in anger, before just plain shrieking as the ship tilted dangerously to the side. Sanji caught Apis in his arms, just before falling into an extremely compromising situation.

"Bastard! Watch where you're putting those hands!" Zoro screamed.

"I'm not exactly enjoying this either, shithead!" Sanji growled, still trying to keep Apis in his grip.

"Sanji-kun! Zoro! Usopp and I will take in the sail! You unfasten the ropes!"

"Yes, Nami-san~!" Zoro took a firm grip to Apis' wrists.

"Come on, you have to get below deck!" the girl yanked out of his hands.

"No way! I have to be with Ryuuji!" she ran up the rapidly inclining deck.

"Idiot! Just being with him won't do a thing!"

"Ryuuji is sitting out there, helpless! I have to get to him-" her feet pedaled in the air, before she flipped onto her stomach and slid all the way to the rail with a painful clunk. Zoro's eyes were twitching madly.

"WOULD YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Alvida ran down to the girl, casting a look at Zoro.

"You go work the ropes! I'll take care of Apis!" Zoro nodded.

"Now you're being useful!" he shouted as he ran to help Sanji. The sturdy piece of cloth came undone, and Usopp scrambled across the mast to roll it up. Luffy merely stared nonchalant as a bolt of lightning struck the water's surface not ten yards ahead of them.

"What a strange storm. It's almost like it's trying to sink the ship." He said in a dead monotone. The other crewmembers scrambled to get below deck as he walked to the wheel, flicking it absently. "Merry, you okay?"

"_Captain, I am… fine, but this storm… it is taxing me…" _the ship panted. He nodded.

"It's okay; I see a light in the distance. That must be the eye of the storm. I can see an island in that eye." He absently created a clone out of thin air. "Go check on Ryuuji. Make sure he doesn't come unfastened in this weather." The clone saluted.

"Yes, boss!" it ran off to the stern. Luffy stared forward, the rain pounding his skin creating a lethargical feeling. He slowly closed his fists around the steering wheel and whistled an aimless tune he heard shanks singing once.

"Hmm, hmm, HMM, hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…" he hummed the tune as he deftly maneuvered the ship through the deadly waters, unconcerned for anything but the tune in his head.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, that storm circles the whole island, huh? Almost like it's trying to prevent people from entering." Nami stared around her at the imposing black clouds circling the patch of calm water. "Good job steering the ship, Luffy! That was really something, getting us through that." The captain nodded.

"It was nothing, Nami! That rain… there was something about it, but it made me unconcerned about my safety. I could stay up on deck with lightning an inch from my nose and I wouldn't have cared." He smiled. "But you guys kept me focused! Thanks!" Nami blushed all the way down as Sanji kicked Luffy in the head.

"Idiot! You're supposed to care ALL the time!"

"But… this storm…" Nami stuttered, trying to recollect her composure. "That must be why nobody got through, if it circles the whole island." Luffy smiled and stared at the island.

"Lost island… it almost looks like a castle, instead, rising out of the water." Usopp laughed and pointed at a half-submerged statue near the shoreline.

"Hey hey, look at that! Doesn't that kind of look like a Sennenryuu?" Luffy looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, there was a (admittedly, rather geometric shaped) stone statue depicting a dragon-like creature. "This really must be the dragon's nest!"

"Man. Dragons were pretty slick, to make statues of themselves." Gin smirked.

"Idiot! Obviously humans left these." Sanji reprimanded.

"Does it matter who left them?" Zoro asked.

"We're here! Lost island!" Luffy shouted giddily. Sanji leaped down from the boat to the ground.

"In any case, I wonder how long it's been since anyone lived here. Looks like the jungle took over long ago." Luffy looked around at the vines intertwining the statues, the crumbling pillars, the dilapidated cobblestone walkway.

"Where do you think the dragon's nest is?" Luffy asked. "'Cause it certainly wouldn't be right at the entrance, where everybody could get to it."

"Hey! Ryuuji! Come on Ryuuji!" Apis pleaded, kneeling in front of the dragon on the already-grounded cart. "Really! We're at the dragon's nest! Get up Ryuuji!" the Sennenryuu opened his eyes.

"_I… I cannot say. My mind is clouded… is this home?" _Apis frowned.

"You're kidding me!" Luffy exclaimed.

"What'd he say?" asked Alvida. Apis looked away from the now-sleeping dragon.

"He doesn't know. Maybe this isn't lost island."

"What?"

"You're kidding me!" echoed Sanji.

"We had to get through that huge storm to get here! It HAS to be lost island!" Usopp massaged his twitching eyebrow. Alvida had similar thoughts.

"Where else COULD this be, if it's not lost island?" she asked. Luffy shrugged, looking around. His eyes finally settled on a mausoleum-like structure on the peak.

"Apis! Look at that! That building up there, that looks promising!" Nami nodded.

"Luffy's right. We won't gain anything by just sitting around here and thinking." She turned to Apis, who was still perched in front of Ryuuji. "Wanna take a look?" Apis nodded excitedly.

"Yeah!"

"Right then! Set off!" Luffy crowed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"That conniving Nami, making the men do all the work. Why doesn't she help push a little?" Usopp grumbled as he staggered under the back weight of the cart.

"You back there, stop chattering and push!" Alvida ordered, walking in front.

"Stop enjoying this so much, dammit!" Sanji swooned.

"I shall stop chattering and push!" he declared, ignoring the fact that he wasn't talking in the first place. "Ah, the lively Alvida-chwan is so wonderful~!" Luffy laughed at the two's antics, being one of the four who wasn't pushing. Usopp decided to move his attentions to him.

"Oi, Luffy! Why don't you just make some clones to do all the work for us? It'd be a lot easier!" Luffy smiled.

"Hey, that's a good idea!" he snapped his fingers, and a single clone formed on the ground. "You! Take Kuro's place." The strategist pushed up his glasses as he grinned.

"Thank you, captain." Usopp squawked at the blatant favoritism. Nami blinked and stared at the sight unfolding before them.

"A… town?" and there it was, a dilapidated old town, built of stone and slowly crumbling to pieces. Luffy looked around, whistling.

"Wow. You realize now just how old this place is."

"You wouldn't know it from anywhere else. This place is practically all jungle now! Gin grunted, pulling from up front.

"Why'd they all disappear?" Usopp asked.

"Who knows, maybe they found an easier place to live." Luffy broke away from the group and stepped towards one of the more sturdy-looking houses, also being one of the few with a roof still intact.

"What do you think, roger?" Luffy asked as soon as the others were a reasonable distance ahead. The pirate king materialized and looked about the house. He scowled.

"Well, I can tell you right now. Whatever reason there's no people here today, is certainly isn't voluntary."

"Why do you say that?" Luffy asked. Gold roger went into one of the side rooms and came back with a pearly white skull. A barely intact arrowhead was lodged in the center of his forehead, the wood having long rotted away. Luffy winced. "Oh. Right. Didn't see that."

"Yeah, you didn't." the man scanned around the house, noting the various burns and nicks into the stone. "From the looks of this place, the fight was quick, and one-sided. Whoever sacked this island knew what they were doing." He stared at the mantle above a fireplace. "Hmm…"

"What?"

"this." He pointed at the mantle. "See this symbol right here?" he pointed directly at the center, where an eagle holding a lightning bolt was emblazoned. "There's a circle of words surrounding it. I think it's some kind of prayer."

"A prayer?" Luffy asked as he inched close to stare at the curiosity. Roger nodded.

"Yeah. Sort of like a 'protect this home and all who dwell in it' thing. Let's see if I can translate it. This looks like it's from about the same period as Atlantis, so it _shouldn't _be too difficult for me." He squinted at it, tracing it with his finger. "'oh mighty shaker of the heavens, smiter of the wicked and protector of the just, shield this home from our foes.' Looks like an invocation to some kind of sky god."

"Any idea which religion it's from?"

"Hard to say. The titans and company were the predominant rulers of this time, but there were quite a few fringe religions that never were stamped out." Luffy scratched his head.

"Think it could have been one of the titans? That Oran- guy? Kronos' dad?" gold roger pondered that for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No, this looks too new for Oranos. Besides, if this was one of the islands that worshipped him, then this shit wouldn't have even happened. The guy was real protective of his territory, or so I'm told."

"Well, then who-" Luffy started to speak, but roger stiffened and melted away.

"LUFFYYYY! Come oooon, hurry up!" Nami shouted. Luffy gave a start and poked his head out from the doorway.

"I'll be right there!" he took one last look at the interior of the house, and the skeleton poking out of the master bedroom, putting it to memory. "A mystery for another time, then." He ran out from the house and towards the waving navigator, laughing. "COOOOMIIIIIING!" he shouted as he raced to catch up with the cart. Gold roger materialized again, looked around shiftily, before picking up the skull dramatically.

"Alas! Poor Yorick! I knew him well…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Luffy whipped up the stairs in time to see them pushing up onto a final plateau.

"Heave-ho!" the Luffy-clone shouted as the back wheels flopped over the last step. Usopp fell to the ground, exhausted.

"Hah… hah… we finally made it… I can't go anymore…" Apis laughed and waved good-bye to a bird that had been perched on her shoulder.

"Thanks for showing us the way!" the bird just chirped back as it flew away. Sanji whistled as he stared down the hill.

"But man, we sure came up a long way." Nami turned and looked at the ridiculously geometric drawing of a dragon colored onto the stone doors.

"This is… a Sennenryuu, right?" Luffy nodded.

"Looks like it." Luffy-clone looked back and forth between the drawing and Ryuuji.

"I dunno, boss, they look pretty different to me…" Luffy whipped around and did a 'shut it' motion with his hand. Luffy-clone's widened in an 'oh' position. "Got it!" he stage-whispered.

"Is this the dragon's nest?" Sanji asked. Gin took a quick once-over.

"Hmm. would've thought it'd be a bit more… free-bird, you know? Sort of like an actual nest?" Alvida snorted.

"If this is the dragon's nest, I'll eat my bra."

"I'd be happy to help you, Alvida-chwaaaaan~~~!" Zoro just looked perplexed.

"But hang on… where's the door?" all activity stopped as the obvious question was voiced.

"Hey… where IS the door?" Luffy-clone asked. Luffy rolled his eyes.

"It's right here, dumbass!"

"I dunno, it looks like a wall to me."

"Do you want to be dispelled?"

"No sir!"

"Then SHUT UP!" gin rolled his eyes.

"Only you could have an argument with yourself and not be crazy, captain."

"Can we get back on topic?" Nami raised her fist, daring somebody to question her. Nobody did. "Good! Now, where's the key to this thing?" Luffy and his counterpart tapped their chins, before pointing at the same time at a small chink where the point of the Sennenryuu's claw would be.

"THERE!" they shouted at once, before sparing the other a glance. "You are REALLY starting to piss me off, clone-boy." Luffy muttered. Apis' eyes widened and reached for her pendant. With it in hand, she slowly walked forward.

"Apis… that pendant… could it be?" Nami stared wide-eyed.

"Could it be the key to the dragon's nest?" Sanji asked eagerly.

"Why did she have it with her THE WHOLE TIME in the first place?" Alvida asked, ruining the mood of suspense. Apis stood in front of the door, undid her necklace and held it up to the hole… and came up short. Apis turned around with the most pitiful look on her face Luffy had ever seen.

"I can't reach~~!"

"HAHAHAHA!" the original Luffy laughed uproariously. Luffy-clone glared daggers at the original before kneeling down and stroking Apis by her hair.

"There there, its okay, we'll handle it…" the clone muttered. Luffy rolled his eyes and took the pendant and held it to the hole.

And the floor collapsed. With a horrified shriek, the group fell to the bottom. Luffy yelped and grabbed onto the little ledge of stone that hadn't collapsed as the straw hat crew fell to the bottom of the cavern. With a mighty crash, the cart, and all its protectors, smashed into the floor. Ryuuji, needless to say, was wide awake after that.

"GUYS! NAMI! ZORO! ME! Are you all right!" Luffy shouted, hanging precariously on the ledge. Luffy-clone shook the cobwebs away and stood. He did a quick once-over of the group before answering.

"We're all fine! I little stunned, a little scared, but nobody looks seriously hurt! The cart's even still intact, miraculously! Did you set off a booby trap or something!" Luffy shrugged.

"I dunno! The pendant never even touched! Maybe it just collapsed under the weight of the cart! Ryuuji's pretty heavy, after all!" he pulled himself up to the small ledge in front of the stone doors. "I'm gonna check out that room! You watch over the others and try and figure a way out of there!" the clone saluted.

"Roger that, boss!" with that, Luffy-clone set out to clear the rubble off of the aging Sennenryuu. Luffy exhaled loudly.

"Well, there's my thriller for the day. Shall we, roger?" he shoved the claw pendant into the socket. With slow, agonizing groans, the doors slid open, revealing inky blackness. "Sally forth, young sir, into the unknown!"

"What are you, a cheap romance novel of ye olden times?" roger quipped.

"Who knows?" and with that, Luffy stepped forward.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"We're… alive, right?" Usopp mumbled as small fragments of root fell.

"If we're dead, then that was the worst death for a pirate EVER." Gin grumbled.

"Whose bright idea was it to use a key up there?" Zoro looked straight at Luffy-clone and Apis. Apis chuckled nervously while Luffy-clone shook his head.

"Didn't do it. The floor gave out on its own from Ryuuji. Boss is up there in the mystery room right now."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore, because we're down here now." Sanji smiled at Apis, relieving her fears. Zoro looked around at the intricate murals depicted on the walls.

"But... where exactly is 'here'? What is this place?" Luffy-clone stared straight up at the ceiling.

"And what the hell is that?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Well, here you go! Figured that'd be a good place to leave off, what with multiple things being mysterious. I've left a few tiny (or not so tiny, in some cases) clues as to why I included this arc, but even if you figure out that bit, you won't be able to guess all of what I've planned! Because I'm _just that awesome. _Not as awesome as oda-sensei, () but still pretty damn awesome!

At any rate, chocolate chip cookies to whoever can guess what little I've hinted at so far.

And is it just my imagination, or is there a lot more fourth wall breakage in this chapter than usual? It could be just me…

Five reviews gets me working on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!

Review. You know you want to.


	25. Tenryuubito, BigAss Painting and Fatass

Hey, guys. Sorry about the long wait. For the most part, I have excuses.

The first one is my weakest. I got hooked on this one game that I just bought, called Overlord 2. God, it's addicting!! Being evil has never been so much fun!! It's basically Pikmin, BUT EVIL!!! AND you get a harem of hot chicks!! FOR REAL!!! It's AWESOMENESS!!! 'Ahem'

Video game nerd moment over… next, I went on vacation. You would be surprised how many hotels in Tennessee have no wifi. I managed to get a good portion of this done on that trip, but it wasn't enough…

Because once I got home, I went on ANOTHER vacation. This time, my grandparents stole me, my sister and my annoying brother away to go to Yellowstone, stopping at the badlands and Mount Rushmore along the way. Yeah. Not really sure what to say about that.

And then… school started again. Le Gasp! The horror! The inhumanity! I think you can all understand that bit, at least.

All in all, at some point without my knowing, I became Murphy's bitch. I haven't checked my email in weeks… hot damn! My beta-boss is gonna be so pissed at me! Sorry, guys! It's not my fault!!

Well, so far as I can tell, nobody got the cookie from last chapter! Oh, well! Sally forth, young readers, into the great unknown! Lol

Edit: oh, fuck. I just realized I screwed up! But it's not my fault!! It's the damn translators!! I just found out on the One Piece Wikia that merfolk (I.E. caimie, from the shabondy archipelago arc) and fishmen (I.E. Arlong) are different species!!! Fuck dammit!! I blame the translators. The source that I usually get my stuff from (I.e. when it's not an anime-only filler arc like this) translates them the same. I didn't figure this out until just a few days ago. Please ignore my screw-up, and, for the sake of me saving face, pretend that they are, in fact, one and the same. Unless an arc shows up that differentiates the two (which, in all honesty, probably will, because fate likes to screw with me. Dammit!) In which case, I will go back to the previous chapters and make the necessary edits.

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Disclaimer: I don't own one piece, it really does suck, I don't own one piece but I don't give a fu- 'random mom appears out of nowhere' WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!!!!

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"This looks like some sort of command post for the island." Gold roger said as he semi-closed the stones doors behind him. Luffy nodded and pointed at a pearly white object.

"Well. You can tell what happened here." Luffy said nonchalantly as he stared around the room. Gold roger winced.

"Yeah. Looks like they must've put up a hell of a fight." The room was littered with the bones and weapons of dead soldiers, still gripped tight in their unmoving hands. At the back of the room, a man (he assumed) dressed in much more finery and regalia, lay slumped over a desk, an arrow in the back of his head. "Look. That guy right there must've been the leader."

"Looks like he was the first to go." Luffy walked around to the skeleton, noting with some interest the book clutched tightly in his hand. "Hey, roger! Commere, take a look at this." The man stood from examining a soldier and walked over, and his eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

"Wow. Incredible. That a book of paper and leather survived all this time… in such good condition, too!" he looked over at the slightly ajar stone doors they had come through. "It really says a lot about the technology of the time. If they were able to get stone doors to seal so tight as to block out the elements for this long…" Luffy gently pulled it out of the commander's grip and did a quick once over.

"I can't make head nor tail of this writing. Roger, can you translate this?" he handed it to the pirate king.

"Oh, yeah. This is cake. Standard dialect of the east blue, eight hundred years ago. This was my language for god knows how long."

"What? Didn't you stay at Atlantis, in the grand line?"

"Nah, I travelled a lot. Broadened my horizons, if you will. After all, who else would get a chance to see the world eight hundred years ago?" He turned it over to the cover. "Log of the Capitolinus islands, by Samuel B. Richard. Looks like some sort of captain's log for a whole island."

"Or a report for a military outpost." Luffy added. Roger nodded and gently flipped open to the first page.

"'Year 701 under our great lord of the sky. We have finally reached the island which will be our new home. The days after we separated from the mainland were difficult, and many of the new settlers fell ill from scurvy. However, we have arrived, and have now set up makeshift huts while we try and create more permanent lodgings. We request stone and masonworkers to assist us in this endeavor.'" Roger frowned. "Hmmm…"

"What?" Luffy asked.

"This reads almost exactly identical to a status report. You know, lieutenants would send these to the generals and whatnot to report on how their troop is holding up? But why, in a book…" he waved his hand over it, and it glowed a faint blue. "Aha!"

"What? What'd you do?"

"I scanned for any unnatural powers, and this book faintly resonates of god-magic. It's faint, after all these years, so you'd only be able to find it if you knew what you were looking for. But now I understand! This book must somehow have had the power to transport back and forth from the sender and the receiver! Sort of like a messenger bird, only no bird!" Luffy's eyebrows arched up.

"Wow. Pretty impressive god. And for the storm and the mirage to have held that much power for all that time, without any reinforcement, he must have been monstrously powerful. Maybe as strong as Kronos in his prime, even."

"No kidding. And this is just an outpost, apparently. Who was this guy?" roger flipped it to another page. "'Year 632 under out great lord of the sky. Word has reached us that Shandora has been taken in a coup.'" Luffy's eyes shot open. 'Skypiea…' he mouthed. "'The conquerors seem to have also taken all of Shandora's outposts outside of the Grand Line. They call themselves 'the Tenryuubito'.'" Here Luffy very nearly had a heart attack.

"The Tenryuubito!?!?" he screamed. Roger gave him a critical glance.

"Who do you think conquered Atlantis? This doesn't surprise me that they took over other superpowers as well. They'd want their power to be unrivaled." He looked down and continued reading. "'They have also cast down any and all altars to their previous god, Poseidon.'" Here both of them were shocked.

"Poseidon!?" they shouted. "Poseidon belonged to Shandora!?" Luffy exclaimed. Gold roger looked faintly queasy.

"Poseidon AND Kronos… they took both of them down… what manner of monster are they?" he slowly began to read again. "'They seem to wish for peace between our nations, however. As a sign of a peace offering, they have sent us two mighty serpent sea kings to guard us. Our mighty lord of the sky, however, took this as an extremely favorable offering, as he then transformed these beasts into a form that pleased him. They have now grown feathers and have the ability to fly. We have taken to calling them, 'Sennenryuu', as we are told by the Tenryuubito that they have an almost unlimited lifespan, far beyond regular sea kings.'" They spared each other a glance.

"So, once Poseidon was out of the picture, this sky god transformed some sea kings into the Sennenryuu."

"This is a lot more twisted around than I had imagined." Gold roger hissed. "'Year 624 under our great lord of the sky. Increasing tensions between us and the Tenryuubito, as they have taken more and more land from our neighbors. Trade has all but stopped as they place embargos onto us. Only our lands and the lands of Kronos, thrice-begotten son of seaspawn that he is, remain out of their control.'" They spared each other a look.

"Apparently people worshipping this guy don't like Kronos." Luffy shrugged.

"Indeed. 'The Tenryuubito are inching closer and closer to our borders, and the villagers are growing frightened. Requesting additional forces to bolster their morale.'" Gold roger skipped to the last entry. "This last bit seems to be more frantic than the rest. And a bit more disturbing."

"Disturbing?" Luffy echoed.

"Yeah, just listen. 'We are under attack!! The Tenryuubito have betrayed us and are storming us!! We are safe atop the Capitoline hill, but they are sacking the town as I write. We recently sent some settlers to the island next to the holy grounds to try and populate it, so our lineage is safe, but we are doomed!! The garbs they wear, the savage way they fight, it proves to be that the motherland is not safe. I repeat, _the motherland is not safe_. The insignia they wear, it proves to me! The Tenryuubito worship the traitorous kro-.'" Gold roger flipped to the back, and sighed. "It cuts off there. There's blood on that entry, and it's smeared out the last word. But if you look at what's left of the last word…" Luffy frowned.

"The farther we get into this mess, the worse it smells."

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"Well… so far as I can tell, that is one big-ass painting." Gin stared at the drawings on the crumbling ceiling. Nami smacked him upside the head.

"Idiot! It's a mural! A picture that tells a story!" Luffy-clone nodded.

"Yeah, I've seen a few of these before, back when I was in Atl- at, at, where was it again?" he fumbled, catching his slip early. Zoro spared him a meaningful glance.

"But what's it a picture of?" Usopp asked, before hissing in pain. Sanji lit a cigarette, his previous one having died.

"It looks like some kind of map. But I can't tell what it's a map of, since it's falling apart." Nami glanced across the ceiling, taking in the streams of people, and the geometric Sennenryuu surrounding a plateauing object, whose center was missing. "What is this place, anyways? Isn't this supposed to be the dragon's nest?"

"I don't know, but I think I know what this cavern IS for." Luffy-clone picked up an incense burner, buried under a smaller pile of rock. "So far as I can tell, this is some sort of chamber for worshipping. It'd be able to fit in a lot of people, or a few REALLY big things, and the decoration is, or was, pretty extravagant, so these guys had a lot of cash burning a hole in their pocket." He pointed up to the massive holes in the side of the building. "There are massive holes in there, possibly for something to fly through into here. Put two and two together, and I'd say the Sennenryuu were somehow worshipped as a type of demigod or holy beast on this island." He cracked his neck. "Still doesn't answer the big question, though: is this the dragon's nest?" Apis looked up from staring into Ryuuji's eyes.

"I don't know. Ryuuji says he doesn't remember what this is."

"Geez, the same useless geezer as always." Said Alvida as she frowned.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?!?"

"Well, it's true!" Alvida protested as Luffy-clone shuffled over to a collapsed portion of the ceiling.

"And how are YOU being useful!?" Alvida drew back as if stung.

"m-me?"

"Oi! Guys! Take a look at this!" the entire group turned as one. "The ceiling over here collapsed."

"Geh!?" Usopp choked.

"It's huge!" Apis exclaimed. Usopp glanced up at the ceiling nervously, as if expecting to be smushed.

"Man, this whole place looks ready to cave in! If we don't get out of here fast, we're going to be in real danger!!" Nami took another look at the ceiling and gasped.

"But this could be the dragon's nest!!" Apis said obstinately.

"Oh really?" Alvida interjected, feeling bitter. "And how do you figure that, when there's not a dragon in sight!?" Luffy-clone pointed at the Sennenryuu painted on the collapsed portion. "Sennenryuu that are alive!!"

"Actually, guys… this might not be lost island." Nami said slowly. Alvida stuck her tongue out childishly.

"See?" Apis' forehead pulsed with veins.

"DON'T ACT LIKE A SMARTASS WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW THE REASON EITHER!!!!"

"And how do you figure that, Nami?" Luffy-clone asked. Nami pointed to the ceiling. Luffy-clone's gaze followed. "The mural?"

"Take a look at the pictures. I think it's a map that shows the direction of the lost island." Luffy-clone arched an eyebrow.

"Now how does that wor… OHH!! I see it!!" he pointed up at the ceiling. "That island with the dome is us, and the dome is this building! All the people that are facing away from it are the people that are leaving, the worshippers!" Nami nodded.

"Right. They're probably Apis' ancestors or something." Apis' eyes widened slightly.

"My ancestors…?"

"Hey, do you remember what grandpa Bokuden said?" Nami asked. Luffy-clone shook his head.

"Nope. I can't remember anything past breakfast." Nami facepalmed.

"Idiot. He said that the people of Gunkan Island came from somewhere else, right?" Luffy-clone retained the same blank look.

"Hey, now that you mention it… he did say something like that, didn't he?" gin interjected. "So that royal court thing, with all the kings and stuff, was here?" Nami nodded.

"Probably. We saw all of those buildings and statues of the Sennenryuu when we showed up here. I think that the people here worshipped the Sennenryuu as gods or holy beasts, like Luffy said. Long ago, the Sennenryuu probably flew around here quite a bit." Usopp nodded.

"Well, if the people moved, then the chances of the dragon's nest being here is probably pretty low."

"But then, where's the real one?" Apis asked frantically.

"Probably the island with a dragon drawn on it." Zoro finally spoke up. Nami nodded.

"Exactly. The people who are worshipping are facing a different island, right? That's probably the _real _lost island. The dragon's nest is probably there too." Apis' eyes widened as she stared at the plateauing island.

"Wait! That island looks like…!" here Nami looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Yeah. If you think about the way it's drawn on the map… then the dragon's nest would have to be on Gunkan Island." Luffy-clone's eyes widened as he swore loudly.

"Oh, fuck me sideways and call me a daisy!!" he smashed his head against the collapsed ceiling portion. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!!" the entire crew jerked away in shock.

"L-Luffy!?" Nami exclaimed.

"I'm SUCH a DUMBASS!! How could I not have seen it!? I even said it to Apis!!" Luffy-clone gave himself one more whack on the head for good measure before he turned away. "When we were high-tailing away from the marines, I felt a huge thing under the island. I thought it was just an underwater volcano or something, but if lost island is at Gunkan Island…!" Apis' eyes widened.

"You mean… it's underwater…?" she said hesitantly. "No! I refuse to believe that!" she ran to Ryuuji's side. "Ryuuji!! Please remember, Ryuuji! We thought we had found it here, but there's nothing here!! Only these drawings!! We have nothing to go on unless you remember!! Ryuuji!!" a quintuplet of birds, perched atop a window to the outside, took flight across the mighty expanse. The elderly dragon looked skyward with his failing vision, to the great mural as the flock of verdant birds passed across the depiction of the Capitoline Dome. His eyes widened, and he remembered.

"_My…! My friends!! Towards the homeland!!" _Apis gasped.

"Ryuuji!!" Luffy-clone nodded.

"Alright, the dragon's nest IS at Gunkan Island." Apis nodded.

"You're right. 'To the east of the summit, in a place that looks like a battleship.' That's where the dragon's nest is."

"Geez, we come all the way out here and look what happens." Luffy-clone slapped him upside the head.

"Hey, you! Shut your mouth! Don't go dissing Apis! She didn't know this wasn't the dragon's nest!"

"I'm sorry." Apis mumbled. "I dragged you all out here, knowing that it might not even be here… that it might have actually sunk into the sea. I guess it was all just a waste of time." Luffy-clone sighed and ruffled his hair, before grinning.

"Oh, come on! Don't act all depressed! We still learned a lot here! And who knows? The dragon's nest might NOT be on the lost island! We messed up here, didn't we?"

"But we won't know unless we go looking, won't we?" Nami smiled. Sanji smiled as well, cigarette dangling precariously from his lips.

"If you're too afraid of making mistakes in life, you won't get anything done."

"The roundabout way of life isn't bad." Zoro merely smirked. Gin sighed good-naturedly.

"We got to see this incredible place, didn't we? That should more than justify the trip! I for one don't regret this a bit!" Kuro, having said nothing throughout the entire duration, stared up at the gaping hole in the ceiling where they had fallen from.

"Thank you!!" Apis cheered. Kuro shifted and leaped up through the hanging vines, having reached the top of the room in less than a second.

"I suppose you were going to ambush us now?" Kuro stated, pushing his glasses up. "I think not." The entire gathering gave a start as they heard Erik chuckle once.

"I suppose I have to thank all of you, for now I know where the Sennenryuu are." Kuro held out a hand to his crew.

"Zoro." The swordsman nodded and threw up Yubashiri into his open hand. Kuro flicked it open, brandishing it towards the enemy. Erik laughed.

"Ha! You think that a mere sword will stop me? I will make sure that die a very painf-"

"SHARK ON DARTS!!!!" a voice shouted out. Erik's eyes shot open as the very painful nose of Nokogiri Arlong punched straight through his shoulder. The falling body knocked into Kuro, and all three fell through into the cavern. Luffy-clone was the first to react.

"Arlong!?!?"

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Luffy gave a start at the battle cry. "Roger!! Did you hear…!?" the pirate king nodded.

"Yeah. Looks like Arlong managed to bust himself out. Seems like there's a fight going on, too. I'll leave you to your machinations." And with that, he dissipated into vapor. Luffy smashed through the door, leaping down to the rest of the crew.

"Boss!!" Luffy-clone exclaimed. "Arlong…! He…!"

"Yeah, I heard! Your work is done!" Luffy snapped his fingers, and the clone dissipated. Luffy reeled from the influx of information, but quickly recovered. "Arlong, you lucky sunnovabitch! How'd you bust yourself out?"

"I have to thank this guy here." Arlong pulled himself up, blood dripping from his nose. "He weakened my chains while he tried to torture me. If not for that, I'd still be on the ship." Kuro groaned and wriggled out from the unconscious mercenary.

"Next time, when you decide to be a big damn hero, try to do it when I'm not in the fall-out zone!" Arlong chuckled and pulled his crewmate up.

"I won't make any promises." The Fishman whistled as he took in the surroundings. "Damn! This is one hell of a set-up! What is this place?" his eyes settled on Ryuuji. "And WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!" Arlong shouted in surprise. Luffy blinked.

"Oh! That's right, you were on guard duty! You didn't meet him! Arlong, this is Ryuuji! He's a Sennenryuu!" Arlong's eyes bugged out.

"A Sennenryuu…! They actually exist!!" Arlong inched closer. "Umm… is it okay if I…?" Luffy, finally realizing his intent, laughed.

"Yeah, it's okay!" Arlong tenitively reached out a hand to touch him.

"A real Sennenryuu…! My mother told me bedtime stories about them when I was a child! I can't believe they're real!"

"You have a mother? Would've figured you crawled out from under a rock…" Nami muttered under her breath. Both Luffy and Arlong heard, though both pretended not to hear. "So! What do we do with this guy?" the navigator prodded Erik in the side. Luffy waved him off.

"Ah, ignore him. We can just leave him here. More importantly, we need to figure out a way to get out of here." He peered around. "Hmm… doesn't seem like there's any openings…"

"That, would be a problem." Gin stated. Luffy grinned as he slowly backed up.

"That's no problem for us, now is it? If there's no opening… THEN WE'LL MAKE ONE!!!!" with those final words, Luffy charged past Arlong.

"What the!?" Nami felt the breeze.

"He isn't…!"

"GRAAAAAAH!!!" Luffy roared as he slammed into the stone wall… and bounced right back off, thrown to the floor. Luffy stuttered explicitives as he nursed his bruised forehead. "The hell is that stuff made of? I was sure I could break it…"

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi..." The crew muttered as one.

The ceiling rumbled as stray stones fell to the ground. With startling suddenness, the wall _one segment over _cracked and fell to pieces. Luffy stood amongst the cloud of dust and laughed. "Hey! It opened! Result alright, result alright!" he chuckled as he walked back to Ryuuji. Arlong, along with the rest of the crew, gaped in astonishment.

"That guy is stronger than a caveman…" he mumbled.

"I like strong men, but this is ridiculous…" Alvida whispered. Nami's throbbing cluster of veins was the only indication she gave of hearing. Luffy picked up the rope attached to the cart and laughed.

"All aboard!!" he called. The crew slowly loaded onto the wooden contraption as Luffy gave it a tug. "Let's GO!!"

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!!!" Erik leaped up and slashed at the air.

"What!?" Luffy shouted as the blast shot toward the backside of the cart.

"Secret technique: three thousand worlds!!" Zoro leaped up and rapidly spun his blades, more or less neutralizing the attack. Luffy breathed out.

"Zoro!! Take care of hiiiiiiiiiiiim!!!!" he screamed as the cart flew off the edge of the cliff, skating downwards on the tree's massive roots. The santoryuu user cracked his neck as Erik snarled menacingly.

"Cretin! You will regret getting in my way!!" Zoro merely pointed a sword in his direction.

"We'll just see how much I regret it… mercenary."

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"I'm the fastest thing alive right now!!!" Usopp screamed as he clung for dear life to Ryuuji's pinfeathers.

"How is that supposed to impress anyone!?!?" Sanji screamed.

"Luffy!!! Do something!! We'll be in pieces before we reach the ship!!" Luffy merely laughed giddily, jumping onto the front of the cart.

"s'okay, Nami! S'okay!"

"HOW!?!?!?!?"

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Erik leaped backwards. "Kama Kama no KAMAITACHI!!!!" Zoro only barely ducked in the middle of his charge as the wind soared over his head, slicing through the fallen masonry.

"What the hell was that!?" he shouted. Erik smirked and charged forward. Zoro whipped up a sword to defend himself… only for Erik to race right by him, running for the gaping hole. "What!? Running away, bastard!?"

"I have to time to deal with your kind my only objective is to take the Sennenryuu!!" with that, Erik leaped over the edge and was gone. Zoro snarled and leaped after him.

"WAIT!!!" Zoro shouted as he plunged over the Cliffside, screaming. Luckily for him, he landed precariously on the massive roots, skating down on one foot. The swordsman spotted Erik a few yards ahead of him. With a clench of his teeth, he leaned forward to speed his descent.

'Those idiots had better be okay…'

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"Luffy!! Is Zoro going to be okay!?" Apis yelled over the roar of the cart. The pirate captain laughed and clutched his hat to his head.

"Oh, yeah, he'll be fine! I've seen him take down way worse than that gay guy!"

"But that guy is a devil fruit user!!" she screamed. Luffy was quickly reminded of another devil fruit user he fought and nearly died against.

'He never did explain to me how he managed to cut steel.' He thought absently. "Don't worry! Even then, it'll be okay! He always pulls through!!" Apis fell silent.

"Luffy!!!" Alvida screamed, pointing straight forward. "We're headed straight into that cave!!" Luffy blinked and looked up. It was a mausoleum, really, but the results would still turn out the same.

"Oh, fuck. That's not good…"

"DO SOMETHING!!!" the pirate shrieked. The group screamed as they plunged headfirst into the opening… before shooting out the other end. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank god there wasn't a wall there, or we would be flatter than a pancake.' As is was, the opening out the back was a bit too small for comfort, smashing through the only thing holding up the structurally unsound building. With a mighty crash, the mausoleum crumpled into itself, sending a cloud of dust, dirt and decay into the air.

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Erik smirked at the tell-tale cloud. "There they are." He crouched, only to straighten again as Zoro landed on an opposite building.

"Sorry, but you shall not pass!" Zoro stated, leveling a blade at the mercenary. Erik flinched, before grinning.

"Oh? Is that so? I think it is up to me whether I pass or not." He whipped his arm back. "Get out of the WAY!!!" he threw the cutting whirlwind at Zoro. The swordsman leaped away onto solid ground, only to duck again as another wind blasted out of the newly-formed dust cloud. In the confusion, Zoro grimaced as he watched Erik leap away on the rooftops.

"Bastard, you're not getting away from me!" Zoro shouted as he took pursuit.

Erik looked behind him to note, with some irritation, that the meddlesome teen was still trailing after him. With a split-second motion, a low-hanging branch from a passing tree was severed and in the way of Zoro. Erik grinned. "The ryuukotsu shall be mine yet!"

Zoro gasped as he skidded to a halt, the branch very nearly crushing him. He scowled as he looked at a stubby outlying branch on the fallen limb. An idea took form.

"Finally." Erik smirked as yet another dust cloud shot into the air. He leaped…

And flipped mid-air as a twirling limb hit him in the ankle, messing with his angle. He landed splat on the ground as the twig skittered away. A katana was hefted in front of his nose. Zoro scowled at the man.

"I told you once before! YOU. SHALL NOT. PASS!!!" shouted the clearly irritated man. "Move and I skewer you through the face!"

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"Luffy… there's another dead-end coming up…" Apis moaned.

"We'll destroy it, same as the others." He replied, nonchalant.

"WE CAN'T!!" Nami screamed. "That's the same cliff that we came up before!! If we fall off the edge of that, we're done for!!" Luffy's eyes widened.

"Wait, WHOAWHOAWHOA!!! You mean the dead-end's a CLIFF!?!? That changes things!!! What do we do!?!" Kuro held his glassed to his nose.

"We could fly down to the ground." The strategist offered.

"WE CAN'T FLY!!!!" Apis screamed.

"I wonder about that…" he replied. The choice was taken out of their hands as the front-right wheel burst off its axle, pinwheeling the cart and miraculously lining it up exactly with the small path zigzagging up the mountain. Everybody screamed as the cart slammed into the wall…. And bounced right back off, into another zigzagging path. And so it continued, down the entire cliff.

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Zoro's ears twitched a he heard faint screaming, quickly looking over in the general direction of his crewmates. Erik wasted no time. Zoro yelped as a fistful of dust was tossed into his eyes, effectively blinding him. Erik helped himself up, clearly pissed.

"I believe I told you to stay out of my way!" he shouted. Now die like a good boy!!" Zoro squinted at him, completely incapacitated.

'Dammit!!'

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"I think we arrived safely…" Nami moaned as the cart slowed to a stop near the going merry.

"I wouldn't say that, considering our shitty luck today…" gin commented, breathless. The cart slammed into a root… and stopped it dead flat, sending all the people on the backside of the cart into the water. Luffy peered around at them, laughing.

"We made it! We made it!"

"I can't take it anymore…"" Nami moaned.

"Shitty rubber-man…" Sanji growled.

"I am DEFINITELY going to kill him one of these days…" gin burbled, head stuck deep into the mud underneath the water. Alvida looked over at the sopping wet Nami and leered, but said nothing. Nami's glare told her she already was pissed enough without her poking the fire. Arlong helped himself off the cart and walked over to Nami and held out a hand.

"Need some help?" he smiled. Of course, with his shark-like fangs, it came out more menacing than anything. Nami quickly stood and stormed away, not saying anything. Arlong pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course you don't."

Apis looked upwards at the sky, where a flock of birds were hovering. She gasped. "Luffy!!" the captain looked up from hauling in the anchor. "Zoro!! They said that Zoro's in trouble!! What do we do!? We have to go help him!" Luffy looked up at the towering cliff.

"…I have an idea."

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"DIE!!" Erik shouted. Zoro grunted.

"ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~OOOOO~OO~O~O!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Luffy's screamed echoed across the entire island. Erik blinked, caught completely off-guard. Zoro looked behind him, only to squeak very unmanly-like as a hand latched onto the back of his shirt.

"BINGO!!!!" Luffy shouted.

"AWESOME!!!!" Apis cried as he lifted her binoculars.

"Luffy… why am I seeing a pattern here…?" Zoro whispered.

"GET BACK HERE!!!!" Luffy shouted… and the arm retracted.

"I'D BETTER NOT HIT THE SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!!!!" WHAM!!!!

"Ah. Sorry Zoro."

"One of these days, I am DEFINITELY going to kill you."

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The marine stared through the binoculars. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It had to be some sort of illusion. But it wasn't. The disembodied head of a goat was floating in midair on the sea. He opened his mouth to say something… ANYTHING… when the head moved. And out from the head followed a ship.

"Woo!! We're out!" Luffy cheered from the crow's nest.

"Jeez, that is so _weird_. The hell is up with that mirage?" Arlong asked, shivering. The marine gasped.

"CAPTAIN!!!" he shouted as he ran into the brig. "Captain, the pirates!"

"What about them?" Souza, who was examining the broken chains that once held Arlong, asked.

"They have the Sennenryuu and are headed in the direction of Gunkan Island! They are currently close to entering the harbor!"

"Set all ships to pursuit! Don't waste any time! Chase them down before they get away!" he shouted, walking out onto the deck.

"Sir, that's not all!" the man continued. "Just after the pirates appeared, Erik-san did the same…" Souza whipped his head to the side of the ship, where Erik was being hoisted over the side. "And is now boarding our ship." Souza cursed.

"Idiots. They should've sunk his damn ship." He muttered.

"What was that, sir?"

"NOTHING!! I appreciate the report!" he walked over to Erik, who hopped onto the deck. "I see you returned safely. Did you get those ryuukotsu you were looking for?" Erik snarled.

"If you've got enough time to be sarcastic, then start chasing them again!" Souza got up directly in the mercenary's face, any and all pretense of being courteous gone.

"I don't care who you are, mercenary, but I run this ship! And your idiocy with that merman allowed him to escape! He damn near scuttled the ship before he ran! I don't care if you come with the authority of all three of the admirals, If your damn obsession gets in the way of protecting my men, so help me god, I will throw you overboard myself! Understand!?" Erik grimaced and brushed him aside.

"Don't think commodore nelson won't hear about this!! You'll regret your impudence, _captain_." Souza smirked.

"We'll just see who regrets it… Hammer."

----------------------------------------------

"Woohoo!! They're trying to come after us!! But they'll never catch up!!" Usopp crowed, staring back at the rapidly disappearing marines. Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"Compared to the going merry, those large, bulky ships are much slower… but when we stop at Gunkan Island, they'll be able to use their superior fire-power. What do we do then?" Luffy shrugged.

"I dunno. We'll figure it out then, Kuro." Kuro rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"That one sentence goes against everything I believe in… I hope you know what you're doing, captain…"

"It's okay! As long as we find the dragon's nest and get Ryuuji better, things'll turn out fine!"

"You make it sound so easy, Luffy…" Sanji said, taking a drag on his cigarette. "The island might've sunk into the ocean, you know."

"So? I AM the ocean! That's no problem for us!"

"I doubt even you can raise an entire island from the ocean, Luffy." Said Arlong. "Strong as you are, that's a little on the side of impossible."

"So? I go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb! That's the straw hat way!" Luffy grinned. Nami felt the inexplicable need to blush. She wasn't quite sure why, but she REALLY needed to blush after that.

"R-regardless, we need to get out of her as soon as possible! We can't waste our time dealing with the marines!" Sanji blinked and scowled.

"Nami-san, I don't think that's going to be possible." Luffy nodded, frowning.

"You saw them too? They just appeared over the horizon." Sailing towards them from the distance, was a massive ship with a gargoyle-like figurehead, the sails blazing a proud '8' to the world. Nelson Royale giggled.

"So the little fishy has entered our trap! All ships, fan out!! Wanting Evil formation!!" and with those words, out from behind the ship flooded an endless multitude of marine ships. The entire straw hat crew gasped.

"ACK!!! How can they even _have _that many!?" Sanji exclaimed, cigarette trembling wildly. Arlong swore. Loudly.

"Goddamn, this guy's not even an admiral and they have THIS many ships for him!? How much money are they throwing around!?" out from the decks of the marines ships clicked and clattered steel chains as thick as a man.

"Hear this! Make sure not a single fishy escapes our trap! Connect the ships together with chains and form an impenetrable wall!!" the chains floated out across the sea, and soon the going merry was boxed in, completely surrounded on all sides by marine ships. Luffy swore.

"Goddammit!! Who this guy is, he's good. Block us off, box us in and blast us to all hell from all sides! He's good, alright."

"What are we going to do!? We'll be captured!" Apis screamed. Usopp looked strangely calm as he smirked widely.

"We'll board their ships, kick the marines off and break the chains. It's the only way." He said with a smug undertone in his voice. Apis turned to him, amazed.

"Wow! That's amazing! Can you really do that!?" Usopp chuckled… before pointing at the ships.

"GO!! Luffy!! Zoro!!! Sanji!!!"

"I should have known…"

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea, though." Zoro smirked as he hefted his blade. Gin leered at the ships.

"This'd be a good place to try my last add-on! I wonder…" Apis gasped.

"Are you sure!? You guys are strong, but even if you had the nine lives of a cat…!" Nami laid a hand on her shoulder, quieting the girl.

"Its okay, Apis. It'll work out somehow." She looked up at the fighters. "But be sure to get the job done quickly, alright?"

"Leave it to us Nami-san." Sanji gave her a thumbs up. Luffy merely cheered on Merry's head.

"ALRIGHT!!! Let's go!!!"

"The fleet's objective!!!" Nelson Royale shouted. "Destroy that pirate ship!! However, leave their cargo completely untouched!! I don't want to see one cut or mark on it!!" and with that, the marines opened fire.

Erik scowled as he watched the display. "stop." Souza blinked and nodded.

"All ships, full stop!!" Erik's scowl deepened as he watched the going merry be bombarded by cannon-fire.

'Nelson Royale.' He practically snarled in his mind. 'All this time, he seemed like just some fatass who only cared about eating. But on the seas, he is something else entirely.' A cannonball strayed dangerously close to Erik's position. 'Merely a commodore… but a commodore nonetheless.' Luffy grinned atop Merry's head as the ship rocked precariously.

"Woohoo!! This is great!! ALRIGHT!!! LET'S GO!!!!"

--------------------------------------------

Whew! Finally done! I had it, like, two percent away from being done for like, three weeks, just sitting on my computer. I figure, why not get it over with now? People are starting to complain! And, here!

Alright, guys! School is back up for me, and that probably means that my update schedule is going to be shot to hell in a twelve gage. Don't complain if you get a dry spell for a while. In my estimation, I'd say that this arc should only take one more chapter, two if the actual plot-based reason ii stuck this in here for takes longer than I thought. And then… WE'RE BACK TO CANON!! Woot!!

Does anybody really even NEED my reminder to review? You guys just keep doing it so much; I think it's really just not even necessary anymore. It's almost part of my signature by now. I'll just leave it up, for regularity's sake.

There is homage to the manliest anime in the world in this chapter. If you figure out the thinly veiled homage, you get chocolate chip cookies, as well as a pair of the most epic shades ever. MAN, I wish I had those shades!

Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!!

Review. You know you want to.


	26. This Is Not A Chapter

Well, I suppose I've led you guys on for a bit, letting the ball hang without any explanation. Allow me to explain WHY this is not a chapter, and why the hell I haven't made one in forever.

I have had my mind raped and my creativity forcefully taken from me. The shock of what happened to me wrenched any thought of writing from my head, and I have only recently picked up my laptop to start typing again. I figure since you guys are probably some of the best fans I've ever had, (including back when I dabbled in the Naruto fanfiction world. I should probably update that story soon… or declare it dead, one of the two.) I think I owe you an explanation.

The truth of the matter is: it was a dare. A few dumb-shit friends of mine dared me that I would read ten chapters of a fanfiction of their choosing, and if I got through it without stopping, or quitting in the middle, they would pay me twenty bucks. Naturally, I thought this would be like taking candy from a baby, and so I agreed. They chose the fanfiction, and I was just a little frightened. I had heard rumors of this piece of filth, that it was the wedlock-born incest spawn of a Goff (excuse me, I meant goth) fangirl and a /b/tard, but I was quickly reassured by my friends. 'it's not really as bad as they say, it's gotten a bad rap, it's actually really funny!' they told me. Still slightly unsure, I read the first paragraph.

AND I WAS HORRIFIED.

It wasn't as bad as they said. IT WAS WORSE. Still, anybody who knows me will tell you that I am an insanely greedy bastard. The siren call of twenty bucks (scratch that, they bumped it up to fifty for fifteen chapters. I hate those dumb fucks SO MUCH.) held me like a spell. I gulped, and I persevered. The next fifteen chapters will live on in my darkest nightmares.

Needless to say, after reading that piece of satan-spawn, I never wanted to see any written word as long as I lived, for fear that it would turn out like THAT fanfiction. After intensive therapy (which was really just my other friends calling the WAAAAAAAAHmbulance on me, as well as telling me to STFU and bone some chick) I slowly recovered. With the help of my beta-boss (thank you, majin!) I was able to slowly work back into the loop of being able to write again. I still have no creativity at all right now, but at least I can actively work on my school papers without bursting into tears anymore. I'm waiting on inspiration to strike me.

Now, I'm sure many of your are reading this and going, 'animaniac, you wuss!! You don't suffer a mental breakdown from reading FANFICTION!! Sure, some of them are bad, but that doesn't mean that you stop writing from them!!' yeah? Well, that's because I haven't told you the name of the fanfiction that they forced me to read. BTW, they are complete sadists for forcing me to do it when I could have happily gone through my life without ever knowing such an example of shit ever existed.

Ready? Are you sure? You could suffer a breakdown of your repressed memories from the name.

Oh well. You read this far, I've read you your warnings.

The name of the fanfiction that they forced me to read is…

My Immortal, by tara gliesbie.

(a woman screams, babies cry, thunder strike, horses panic.)

See? That name is more terrifying then Frau Blucher!

(Horses panic)

Oh, shut up, you. Yes, I read the harry potter fanfiction with the queen of all Mary sues, She-with-the-ridiculously-long-name-that-will-never-be-mentioned-again. Can you understand my pain now? Yes? Good. No? fuck you up the ass. I thank the lord for small miracles, because that blight against nature was pulled from fanfiction dot net a long time ago for copious raping of the English language. My 'friends' (never speaking to them again, BTW, in case any of you were wondering) were able to find it lurking on the fringes of the internet with google, though, so it's still out there, biding it's time…

So, there you have it. My weaksauce (or, not-so-weaksauce, for those of you who know the pain that I speak of) excuse for not updating for a long time. I'll try and start writing again soon, but no promises. While mind rape-age was my primary excuse, school has become enough of a hassle to require most of my attention, and RL will always take precedence over fanfiction, no matter how much I wish it otherwise.

I would say, do not review to this post, but frankly, you guys just kinda ignore that most of the time, and I think I'll leave this up, as a warning to all future generations to NEVAR 4GET the warning of this writer against the plague of bad fanfiction. This is the Animaniac dude, signing off.

Review. You know you want to.


	27. Myths, Legends and Lost Island

Hello. Many of you have no doubt noticed by now the notice that I left you last not-chapter. I have to say, I underplayed the situation. My therapist for recovering from that-which-shall-not-be-named has told me I should be more truthful. Here's the truth.

Because of reading that god-awful piece of shit that dared to be called a fanfiction work, my girlfriend left me, I got a foreclosure on my house, and I got testicular cancer. And to top off my miserable existence, I STILL couldn't figure out an ending to this god-awful arc.

Then I watched a bootlegged copy of Strong World I got for Christmas.

My balls, now properly inspired, got their act together and not only beat the cancer to death, but T-bagged the man in charge of taking my finances into a coma, got me two even hotter girlfriends, AND re-inspired me to find a way out of this filler arc. THAT, my dear children, is how much WIN Strong World is made of.

… I may or may not be bullshitting you on everything I just said. Except for the made-of-WIN Strong World giving me the inspiration for the arc, I'm probably not bullshitting you on that one.

* * *

Disclaimer: don't own.

* * *

"So, what do we do?" gin drawled as he stared at the iron chains. "Those things look pretty damn thick… and there's more than one, too." Luffy scratched his head.

"Hmm… I have no idea. I would've said just slice right through them, but then I remembered we can't cut steel." Zoro walked around to the anchors, staring at them. "Huh? You got an idea, Zoro?"

"I bet I could cut them." Zoro declared. Sanji scoffed.

"What, you? Cut through solid steel? Pull the other one, marimo, it's got bells on it." Zoro glared at him.

"Shut up!! It looks like a fairly inferior metal, and the Kitetsus are notorious in their power to slice anything!" Arlong tapped the chains, frowning.

"Hmm… Zoro is right. These chains are an extremely crappy make. I wouldn't buy these to chain up a starfish. But even then, I doubt you could cut through them. Shatter them, yes, but not cut them." Gin blinked, before smirking.

"HEY!! Got an idea!!"

"We're listening."

"I've got one last goodie for my tonfa that I haven't shown anybody yet! If I used it on the chains, Zoro could slice through them no problem!" he grinned. "Of course, it'd probably take a bit to work, so you'd have to watch over me for a while…" the doors to the ship they had boarded burst open, flooding the deck with marines.

"There they are!!! Capture them!!!" one of the officers shouted.

"Let's hope your idea works, because we've got company!!" Arlong pulled out two teeth castanets and launched himself into the fray. The rest of the fighters, sans gin and Zoro, followed quickly after.

The swordsman turned to gin. "So? What's this big surprise of yours?" gin smirked and flicked the control setting on the barrel. The color indicator settled on a bright red.

"Back up!! This could get a little hot!!!" the balls flipped up and a small flame, no bigger than what a lighter would put out, sprouted from the base. "FLAMETHROWER!!!!" he snapped the triggers, and a massive plume of flame spat out the business end. Zoro let out a very unmanly yelp as he dodged to the side, only barely dodging being singed.

"WHAT THE HELL!?!?" Zoro screamed. Gin grinned, still blasting the chains with the tonfa.

"Like it? I'm not exactly sure of the science behind it, but one of the cartridges has some sort of machine that sucks in air and pulls out all the hydrogen from it! The hydrogen gas is compressed and forced through the tube, into the flame, creating a never-ending super-heated flamethrower!!"

"HOW THE HELL IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?!" Zoro shouted.

"I don't know! Ask the guy who created it!! It was a prototype they didn't want anymore from some guy… Vega-something!!" gin shouted back over the roar of the flames. "But enough of that!! Zoro! When the chains get hot enough, they'll start to soften up!! When that happens, slice 'em open!!"

"THAT'S your big idea!?!?" Zoro screamed.

"STOP COMPLAINING ALREADY, DAMMIT!! YOU GOT A BETTER IDEA IN MIND!?!?" gin shrieked back.

"… no, actually. I was going to say that was a good idea." Zoro stated, completely calm once more. Gin felt the sweatdrop roll down the back of his head.

"Mood swings…?" he mumbled. He watched the steel start to glow. "Alright, that's good enough! Slice 'er up!!" quick as a flash, Sandai had slashed through the fire and flames, severing the hot metal. The chains slid away, and one of the four links fell into the sea. "One down, three to go!!"

"You know, you'd think that the marines would train their men better." Arlong stated conversationally to Sanji as a pair of teeth chomped into a marine's skull. "I mean, we're good, but this is ridiculous! Any pirate with a half-competent crew could beat these chumps!!" Sanji looked over at Arlong and grunted.

"Too easy." He agreed as he whirled around, planting feet in everybody's faces. Luffy snapped off a tentacle of water, smashing the remainder of the marines off of the ship and into the sea. "Way too easy."

"No kidding!" Luffy laughed. "Man, whoever trains these guys must be a big dumbass!! Zoro, gin!! How you coming with the chains?!"

"Just about ready with the second!!" gin shouted back over the roar of flames. "Aaaaaand……. NOW!!!" Zoro leaped in, slashing the red-hot metal. "That's two!!"

"Good!!" Luffy grinned. "This is way too easy!! Hahaha!!" Sanji smirked, before turning away to relight his cigarette. He looked up, and promptly screamed.

"WHAT THE SHIT IS THAT THING!?!?" he shouted. The four whirled around. Luffy's eyes widened.

* * *

"CANNONBALL FROM THE LEFT!!!" Kuro roared as he raced to the incoming cannonball. Since he was fairly incapacitated without his gloves, he was reduced to shouting out projectiles for Nami to dodge. 'What I would give for even one blade…' he grumbled inwardly.

"I can't do anything about it!! It'll hit before we can dodge!!!" Nami shouted back. Kuro swore loudly.

"Out of the way!!" Alvida shouted as she pushed Kuro to the ground. With a mighty swing, she smashed her mace into the cannonball, sending it flying back through the air and crunching through the mast of one of the ships. Alvida pumped her fist. "YES!!! Home run!!" Kuro arched an eyebrow at this.

"'Home run'?" Alvida froze, a blush erupting on her cheeks.

"I…! I said that out loud!?" Kuro's other eyebrow joined the first.

"I never would have guessed that you were a fan of baseball, Alvida-san. Seems remarkably… civilian of you." the mace was inches from his nose.

"Don't you dare tell anybody!! Least of all Luffy!!" she ordered, the blush not quite gone. Kuro pushed up his glasses, nonchalant about the whole deal.

"My, my. Touchy on the subject, are we? We have something to hide, do we?"Alvida swung the mace up. "Very well. I shall not inform the captain." Alvida lowered the mace.

"…fine!" she swung around. Kuro arched an eyebrow.

"This is why I don't date women." He murmured under his breath. He looked up, and his eyes widened. "wh-what…!? What in the name of hellfire…!? Usopp!!!"

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL!?!?" Luffy shouted. "how is it legal to even HAVE a cannon that big!?!?" there, rolled out onto the deck of commodore nelson's deck, was a monstrous cannon easily twice as tall as the going merry, and three times as long. And it was pointed right at them. "If we take a hit from that monster, we're DOOMED!!!"

God, just look at that thing…" Arlong gaped, a castanet slipping from his webbed fingers. "That thing is massive… that's got to take more money to maintain than an entire warship!!" Luffy frowned and paced back and forth.

"What to do, what to do…! Roger, do you think it would be possible to toss something like that back at them?" he murmured under his breath.

"I dunno… that thing's pretty massive… we could maybe, and I mean MAYBE, redirect it into one of their ships if we worked together, but with something that massive, I don't think we could just toss it back." Luffy kneaded his forehead.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!! How do we stop them from blowing the merry to smithereens!?" the cannon seemed to bulge, as it prepared to fire over the faint sounds of sirens… and then a black speck flew from the merry directly down the gullet of the cannon. The cannon imploded into itself, scattering debris all across the command ship. Luffy could only stare.

"… What just happened?" Sanji asked the unspoken question, cigar dangling limply from his mouth.

"… Did the merry just fire a cannonball right into the other ship's cannon?" Arlong asked. "Is that even possible?" Luffy laughed, relieved.

"Hahahaha!! Only Usopp could possibly pull off a shot like that!!" Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Kinda anticlimactic if you ask me. Gin, start blasting the last chain." Gin nodded and flicked on the flamethrower. "Looks like they've figured out we're almost done. They've started to steer our way." Luffy grinned.

"Alright! We're almost out of here!!"

And then the going merry was hit.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAGGHH!!!!" Alvida screamed as the going merry was rocked upward. Kuro slammed bodily into the door to the quarters, stifling a cry of pain. Usopp nearly flew over the back of the ship and onto Ryuuji's head.

"AAAAAHH!!! WE'VE BEEN HIT!!" Usopp screamed, in a blind panic. "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!! WE'RE GOING DOWN!!!"

"Silence, you blithering idiot. I have better aim than that." Erik spat as his rowboat, manned by four marine grunts, knocked into the floating raft. Apis, who had been down comforting Ryuuji, whirled around and pointed.

"AHHH!! It's you!! The gay guy – the one who ate the okama fruit!!"

"IT'S KAMA-KAMA, NOT OKAMA!!!" Erik screamed, veins bulging. Usopp trained his slingshot on Erik's face, with only a slight tremble in his hands.

"B-b-b-back off, okama! I-I-I-I have over nine thousand men underneath us w-w-waiting to strike!!" Erik smirked and lifted a heavily manicured finger.

"Doubtful. And if you even try anything, I'll blast your ship to pieces." He grinned savagely and wagged his finger, the skin on Usopp's arm gaining countless scratches. Usopp gasped. "That last kamaitachi missed on purpose. Irritate me again and I'll make sure NOT to miss." Usopp growled in helpless frustration as Erik slashed the tethering ropes and began to row away with Ryuuji. "I think I'll take the girl, too. A little incentive not to open fire on me."

"NO! Apis!!!" Usopp screamed. Apis just seemed intent on protecting Ryuuji from his ministrations. "GAAAH!! Dammit!! What do we do!?"

'_We hope. Hope, and pray for a miracle.' _Said Sogeking. Usopp merely growled. _'Whoa… wait a minute, aren't they going the wrong way?' _

'Wh… you're right! They're going out of the circle!' Usopp exclaimed. 'This guy's pulling a double-cross!' and the commodore's ships opened fire on Erik.

* * *

"Okay, what the shit is going on!? I don't even know anymore!!" Luffy exclaimed as he quickly slapped up a wall of water to protect Ryuuji from the cannon-fire. "Is this guy betraying them or something?"

"Looks like it." Zoro spoke, finally slicing through the final chain. "That's the last one. Now what do we do?"

"Get to some of the other ships and take out the cannons! I can't keep up this blockade forev-" Luffy froze. "Wha… Ryuuji…" the crew there turned, and collectively gasped.

Ryuuji was standing, balancing on his wings for support.

"Wha…!? I thought he was sick!!" Sanji shouted. With a single sweep of his wing, Erik the mercenary was screaming as he flew through the air. Luffy's eyes widened.

"Whoa… he's pissed…" Ryuuji threw back his head and roared.

"_YOU DARE HURT MY FRIENDS!?!?!? I WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!!!!" _he screeched out. Every single living thing in the area fell to the ground, clutching their ears and screaming in pain.

"AAAAAAAGH!!!" Arlong screamed, clapping his hands to his head. "MAKE IT STOP!!!" Luffy, who had managed to barely get his fingers in on time, stared in awe as ships that closest to the dragon rippled and splintered, before collapsing into floes of driftwood.

"Incredible…" he breathed. "His cry is so powerful that he can destroy ships…" Ryuuji petered out before bending his head to look at something in the boat. Luffy could barely make out Apis getting up off the bottom of the rowboat and talking to Ryuuji.

"I-impossible…" Arlong breathed. "for an old, infirm dragon to have that much power in just one cry… and he's able to direct that power to destroy what he wants and nothing else…"

"Then imagine what a Sennenryuu at its prime could do…" gin finished. "Frankly, I'm just glad he's on our side…" he then did a double take and gasped as Ryuuji started to pound at the air with his wings. "Wh-is he…?"

"He's going to…!" Zoro began. Luffy grinned and pumped his fists.

"Yes!! You can do it, Ryuuji!! You can fly!!" and then, suddenly, Ryuuji was airborne. Luffy cheered. "YES!! HE'S FLYING!!!"

"Incredible…" Arlong gasped. "I'm seeing a legend, right before my eyes… incredible…" the group was jerked out of its reverie, though, when a hail of cannon-fire slammed into Ryuuji's side. "NO!!" Arlong shouted instinctively.

"God-dammit!! These marines don't know when to quit!! Guys, take out as many ships as possible!!! Keep them from firing!! I'll try and protect Ryuuji!!!" Luffy threw up his barrier again as the attack force leaped off to scuttle the ships. Ryuuji began sailing towards the commodore's ship, screaming his defiance as he went. "Dammit!! There's just too many!! Roger, any ideas!?"

"I dunno… shit's not looking too good right now. Right now, we can just barely protect him, but if he keeps heading that way, he'll fly right out of our range of our shields! There's just too many ships!" Luffy growled in frustration.

"Dammit!! What do we do!?!" Luffy glared up into the sky. "Kronos!! Poseidon!! If either of you are up there watching this, then help us out of this!! Help us keep Ryuuji alive!!"

BOOM!!! One of the ships on the opposite side of the ring exploded and sank. Luffy whipped his head up. "WHAT!?!?"

"My god… the gods deliver." Roger breathed. Luffy shook his head after a moment.

"No!! Not the gods!! The Flying Dutchman!!" and out from the cloud of debris sailed the Flying Dutchman, thundering away with its cannons. Luffy watched in awe as a triple-cannon mounted in the figurehead blasted away ships one after another. The Bezan Black swooped in right behind it, picking off stragglers that survived the initial onslaught. "Good gods above… look at them go…!" Luffy breathed.

"They're completely destroying the southern half of the blockade!!" gin exclaimed. "Now THAT'S my fucking crew!!" Arlong stared at the Flying Dutchman, a trail of drool hanging dangerously off his lip.

"Th-th-th-that's my ship now? Mine? No takebacks?" gin chuckled.

"I guess. Damn, that's a shame. Guess they just don't make 'em like they used to…" Arlong's eyes gleamed predatorily as he began making various calculations of profit in his head. Sanji looked back, and scowled.

"Guys, I hate to burst the bubble here, but… they still won't be able to help Ryuuji." Luffy whipped his head back to see Ryuuji plowing forward, screaming at the gargoyle-like ship while it blasted away with its full power.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!!" Luffy screamed. "Ryuuji, stop!! You're going to die!!!" with a scream, Ryuuji soared out of Luffy's wards. "RYUUJI!!!!"

"FIRE!!!!" a marine screamed across the water. With an explosion of gunpowder, Ryuuji took all sixteen of the command ship's forward mounted cannons to the face. The mighty dragon collapsed to the sea. Luffy froze.

"RYUUJIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!" Apis screamed across the water.

"YOU BASTARDS!!!!!" Luffy roared as he slingshot-ed himself over the water, to land of Ryuuji's back. "Ryuuji!! Get up, quick!! They're coming for you!"

"_It is over, straw-hat boy." _Ryuuji burbled through the water, face dripping with blood. It was a miracle that his face was still intact. _"Even if I lived through this attack, I have lived far too long. It is past my time." _

"What're you talking about!? You can't think about dying!! Apis'll be sad!" Luffy retorted. Ryuuji shifted slightly.

"_Guh… straw-hat boy… please… promise me that you'll take care of her. Make sure that these humans don't hurt her." _Luffy nodded.

"Yeah. I gotcha. I'll take care of Apis. I never break my promises. But I promised YOU that I'd get you to the dragon's nest! So you've got to get up!!!" Luffy began tugging on Ryuuji's head as he solidified the water beneath them.

"FIRE THE HARPOON!!!" shouted a warbly voice across the water, from the command ship. Luffy looked up to see a metal harpoon sailing at them. Without any effort, he caught it in one hand. He glared up at the ship.

"What the hell do you bastards think you're doing?" he graveled in a low voice.

"Guehehehehe!" warbled the same voice. "You little twerp, you don't even know what you're standing on!!" Nelson Royale fanned himself as he grinned. "The only things I want are that Sennenryuu's bones! For once I have those ryuukotsu, I shall obtain eternal youth!! Guehehehehe!!" Luffy's fist clenched until it bled.

"YOU BASTARD!!!!!" Luffy roared, bodily throwing the harpoon back at them at three times the original speed. The harpoon crashed into the wall of the ship, the blade just barely nicking the commodore's cheek. The morbidly obese man nearly pissed himself in fear. "Ryuuji isn't some object you can have!!! He's our FRIEND!!! We've sailed together, laughed together, had adventures together!!! HE'S AN IMPORTANT FRIEND TO US!!!!"

"Poppycock!! Nelson shouted back, once he had control of his bladder again. "If that's your answer, then why don't you just sink into the sea along with your 'friend'!" he growled. "Pesky nuisance!! How dare you throw that harpoon at me!! Fire all cannons at that twerp!!" the marine next to him stalled.

"Uh, but, if we do that, the Sennenryuu…!"

"It doesn't matter! Even if the bones are shattered to pieces, they still exist, and I can still collect them!! FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!"

Luffy, however, had already tuned him out, listening to Ryuuji. _"Straw-hat boy, let me go. This is far enough."_

"What do you mean? This is far enough!? We haven't gotten you to the dragon's nest yet!! I made you a promise, didn't I? So forget about that 'giving up' crap!" Ryuuji was silent. "You know I'm right, Ryuuji! I'll take care of Apis! So, now we have to focus on getting you better!!" Ryuuji chuckled.

"_You are a good friend, straw-hat boy, but you do not understand." _The sea suddenly rumbled and shuddered, sending tremors out along its length. "What!?"

* * *

"Let me go! Let me go!! Untie me right now!!" Apis screamed as she struggled against the ropes that bound her to Usopp's back. "I have to save Ryuuji!!"

"What was that!?" Usopp shouted as the tremors began.

"I have to get to Ryuuji!!" Apis screamed again, unmindful of the apparent seaquake.

"Apis!!" Alvida exclaimed, running up and stroking the girl on her cheek. "Its okay, Apis. Just let Luffy take care of Ryuuji." Apis calmed slightly, leaning into the touch.

"a-are you sure?" she mumbled.

"Yes… it's going to be alright…" Alvida crooned, before looking up at Nami. "You! Navigator! What the hell's going on!?" Kuro held his glasses in place.

"I'd guess a seaquake. Maybe whatever volcano formed this island is acting up again." Nami shook her head.

"Impossible! There are no active volcanoes in this area!! So what's going on!?"

* * *

"What do you mean, I don't understand?" Luffy shouted. Ryuuji chuckled.

"_Look down." _Luffy looked down, and gasped. The entire ocean was turning green.

"What?! What's going on?" Ryuuji sighed.

"_After all my years of searching, it was right under my nose… but now, I am home…" _Luffy gasped and looked Ryuuji straight in the eye.

"What? Really, you mean it!?" Ryuuji gave what could be counted as a grin, and, with a show of strength Luffy didn't know he had in him, lifted himself up and roared.

"_COME, MY BRETHREN!!! THE TIME HAS COME!!!! I, ELDER RYUUJI, SUMMON THE COUNCIL TO THE ANCESTRAL HOME!!! THE TIME HAS COME!!!!"_

* * *

"What!?" Usopp gasped when Ryuuji roared out. Apis sucked a sharp breath. "What's he saying?"

"He's calling them…" Apis breathed. "The Sennenryuu scattered all across the world. 'The time has come!' is what he's calling!" Nami looked up, face riddled with obvious confusion.

"The time has come? What does he mean by that?" Kuro jerked his head up.

"The time has come… it couldn't possibly mean…" Alvida jerked her head up and gasped.

"What're those!?" she exclaimed. Everybody turned to look at the countless bodies flooding the previously clear sky. Usopp gasped as they came into view.

"Sennenryuu!! The sky's full of them!!" Nami suddenly grinned.

"I'll bet they're Ryuuji's nakama!!" Apis nodded, face filled with pure joy.

"Yeah…" she said, sounding on the verge of cry tears of happiness.

* * *

"Incredible…" said Zoro, staring at the overhead flock.

"Where did they all come from…" asked Sanji, cigarette and the marine in his hand completely forgotten.

"Wow…! Just, wow…!" gin exclaimed.

"I can't believe it…" Arlong breathed. "I'm seeing another legend come to life right before my very eyes…"

* * *

"Are… are those…" Nelson Royale murmured, before his face twisted into something resembling perverse joy. "Ryuukotsu!! A whole mountain of ryuukotsu for me!!" his cheers were cut off, however, when a low-flying Sennenryuu buzzed the command ship close enough to knock him off his massive chair. Nelson squirmed and writhed, before pointing upward. "Kill them!! FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!"

"w-we can't! The cannons can't aim that high!!" said a random marine.

* * *

Ryuuji let out a sigh, before raising himself again. _"BRETHREN!! MY TIME HAS COME!! REMEMBER THAHT STRAW HAT IS A FRIEND OF THE COUNCIL!!!"_And with those final words, Ryuuji collapsed into the water.

"Ryuuji!!" Luffy shouted. Ryuuji looked up.

"_Straw-hat boy… please… tell Apis that…"_ Ryuuji mumbled a few words, but Luffy understood.

"Yeah. I gotcha. I'll tell Apis." Ryuuji sighed.

"_And with that, this life is over…" _and Ryuuji went limp. Luffy allowed him to begin sinking.

"Guehehehehehe!! Guehehehehe!!" Nelson Royale laughed gleefully across the water. Luffy froze. "Guehehehehe!! Guehehehehehe!!" he was filled with an unspeakable rage.

"GOMU GOMU NO!!!" he shot his hand up, latching onto the neck of a bypassing Sennenryuu. "ROCKET!!!!" he shot up into the air, still latched onto the dragon's neck. His foot, however, continued upward. "GOMU GOMU NO!!!"

"GUUUAAAAAAAH!!!!!" Nelson Royale screamed, vainly trying to move on his own for the first time in years.

"AAAAAAAAXE!!!!!" Luffy shot downward…

And _cleaved the ship in two._

Everybody stared in awe and terror as the shockwaves made mile-wide impact rings. Nelson Royale sank like a stone into the murky waters...

Luffy pounded up the hull of the ship, Haki radiating off his body. A random marine screamed.

"AAAAAGH!!! WHAT HAPPENED!!!??"

"HE KILLED THE COMMODORE!!" another shouted, and, almost as one, the marines ran screaming into their ships, trying as fast as they could to get the hell out of there. Sanji picked up his fallen cigarette and relit it.

"Geez… these marines sure give up quick when their boss gets beaten. And they're not even going to check if he's alive." Zoro shrugged and began to walk away with the rest of the crew.

"Whatever. It's time for us to pull out too." Sanji nodded, and looked up at the sun, where the Sennenryuu were circling above.

"Circling…? But why…?"

"Sanji! Let's go!" gin shouted. The cook snapped out of his reverie and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm coming."

* * *

"Nami-swaaaan! Alvida-chwaaaaan!! I'm back!" Sanji crooned, climbing up the ladder.

"Just shut up and get on board already." Zoro muttered. The blonde quickly scurried up and let the rest of the crew back on. Nami looked at them.

"Where's Luffy?"

"GOMU GOMU NO!!!" Luffy roared as he shot himself up onto another Sennenryuu's neck. "Hey, this is kinda fun! ROCKET!!!!" and he slammed himself into the merry's deck. Luffy let the tremor shiver up his spine, before waving. "Yo!"

"NO 'YO'S!!!" Nami screeched. Be a little gentler when you land!!" Apis looked out on the sea, instantly noticing something wrong.

"Hey, where's Ryuuji?" Luffy froze and looked away. Apis turned pale and ran to the stern of the ship. She saw the ripples in the water where the elderly dragon had been, and knew. "Ryuuji…" she warbled, tears already in her eyes.

"Captain!! Captain!!" another voice shouted. Luffy looked over to see both the Bezan Black and the Flying Dutchman pulling up beside them. "What the hell is going on!? What's with the giant birds!?" Django shouted.

"Not birds! Dragons!" Luffy shouted back. Django did a double take.

"EEEEEEH!?!?!" he screeched, before the sea was wracked by more tremors. Apis was unmindful as she sobbed without abandon.

"Ryuuji…" she cried. "My promise to Ryuuji… I promised to take Ryuuji to the dragon's nest…" Luffy walked up the deck, to where she knelt.

"Ryuuji got his wish." Luffy answered. Apis looked up at him. "The Sennenryuu are calling… can't you hear them?" Apis looked up at the Sennenryuu, before gasping…

And then a shockwave of air, with Gunkan Island as an epicenter, nearly knocked her off the ship. Luffy clutched his hat to his head, waiting for what he knew was to come. He watched the ocean recede from Gunkan Island's shore. He watched the pillars of coral and stone spike out of the ocean bed. And finally, he watched the stony land come into surface underneath the three ships. Nami gasped as she saw this, things finally falling into place.

"So that's what it meant!!" she exclaimed. Sanji looked over his shoulder at her.

"What do you mean, Nami-san!?" he shouted.

"Just like the mural said, the dragon's nest is here!!" Apis let out a gasp. "The name Sennenryuu doesn't refer to their life-span! It means that they come to this island every one-thousand years!!" the dragons above screeched as the remaining marine ships were impaled by stone outcroppings. "The Sennenryuu are migratory! They didn't just appear here by chance! 'Lost island' is the perfect name for it! It only surfaces every one-thousand years, so there's no way any living human being would remember it!!" Luffy took his hand off his head.

"And lo, we watch history in the making. As the lost island becomes found…"

* * *

"Incredible…" said Nami as she stared out at the stony land that was the dragon's nest. The Sennenryuu were perched among the rocks, acting as if it had been there the entire time. Crystal clear water flowed through coral arrangements, into shining pools of ichor. Apis was clutched to the rail, staring out over the place.

"Could this be…?" Luffy nodded.

"That right. This is the place that Ryuuji wanted to come home to. The dragon's nest."

"So this is…" she trailed off as she spotted a blot on the water. She cried out and vaulted over the rail, running towards the body. "RYUUJI!!!"

"Oi, oi, Apis!!" Usopp shouted. The core straw hat crew ran towards her, while Luffy turned to the captains of the ships.

"Go to your crews." He said to Kuro and gin. "Keep an eye on them. Allow them to wander, but tell them that if they take anything, if they harm even one hair on a Sennenryuu's head, they answer directly to me. Understand?" the two nodded and ran off. Luffy sprinted to catch up with the group. When he got there, Apis was screaming at the dragon's corpse, halted when the water reached her knees because of the devil fruit.

"It seems like coincidence…" Nami began. "But the place where Ryuuji fell turned out to be the dragon's nest. I wonder if that means he can rest in peace." Luffy nodded.

"He can. Before he sank, he told me that his wish had come true." Usopp glanced to and fro, taking in all the sights.

"So, this is the dragon's nest. There sure are a lot of strange looking rocks." Sanji kicked at a loose pebble.

"I bet these are ryuukotsu." Usopp let out a confused sound. Sanji pointed up at one of the rock formations. "Look here. Doesn't this formation look like a dragon?" Usopp looked around, finally noticing what he was saying.

"Well… yeah, but… WHY are the rocks shaped like dragons?"

"Because for these thousand years, they were under the ocean." Said Nami. "Their bodies became calcified."

"I see…"

"Did you understand a word of that?" Zoro asked. Usopp shrugged.

"Nope, not a single word!" Nami sighed and facepalmed.

"When elephants die, they go to a place called, 'the elephant's graveyard', correct? Maybe that's what this place is… the dragon's graveyard."

"The dragon's graveyard…" Alvida murmured.

"NO!! That's not true!!" Apis shouted from the water. "Ryuuji said that he'd get better if he went here!! This CAN'T be a graveyard!!"

"Apis…" Nami began. Luffy stepped forward.

"Ryuuji… was a lost Sennenryuu. For a thousand years, he was all alone. But then, you found him, Apis." Apis looked up, tears in her eyes. "He said to me that out of all of his thousand years, the years with you were the ones that he treasured the most."

"Luffy… can you really understand what they're saying?" Nami asked. Luffy nodded.

"Yes, I can."

"Oh, cut that out!" Usopp protested.

"But it's true! I really can understand them!" Luffy retorted.

"Liar…" Apis mumbled. Luffy jerked his head to her, only to realize she wasn't talking to him. "Ryuuji, you liar. We've found the dragon's nest… if we've found the dragon's nest, then open your eyes!! Get better again!!!" she broke down, bawling helplessly into her sleeve. Luffy thought for a minute or two, before coming up with an idea that would placate her.

"Ryuuji wasn't lying." He began. "He said to me that Sennenryuu have to come to the dragon's nest every thousand years… to be reborn." Apis jerked her head up. Luffy stretched out his senses, and when he'd found what he wanted, pointed at an egg underneath one of the stone dragons. "Look over there!" Apis followed his gaze.

The egg throbbed once, twice…

And then it broke, revealing a newborn dragon. Apis gasped loudly.

"A baby Sennenryuu!!" she exclaimed. The baby was quickly surrounded by fully grown dragons, talking too quickly for Luffy to make out what they were saying. The babe shifted its gaze to stare at Apis, and cried out.

"_It's alright, Apis. I'm better." _The babe cried. Luffy's eyes shot open.

'HOLYSHITIWASRIGHTIT'SRYUUJI!!!!'

"_Do not cry for me, Apis. I'm better."_ Ryuuji called. Apis cried unabashedly, nodding to Ryuuji. She slowly began to work her way up the hill, and so could not hear Ryuuji calling out. But Luffy could. _"Straw-hat boy! Meet us behind Gunkan Island once this is over!" _Luffy nodded.

"So you see, Apis…" Nami began again, unaware of any of the byplay, "this isn't just the dragon's graveyard. It's a place… that connects them with new life."

"Thank you, everyone." Apis nodded to every person present. "When I first heard Ryuuji ask to return to this place, I thought I had an idea of what this place was, and why he wanted to return so badly. But I was wrong… it's so much more wonderful than I imagined. I think I understand now why our ancestors built that temple." She looked up at the raven-haired boy. "Thank you, Luffy." Luffy just nodded. She then grinned mischievously. "Now, let's get back to the village! I bet the villagers are scared out of their wits!!"

"Yeah!!" Luffy cheered. "Man, am I hungry!! Sanji, make us something good!!"

"Yeah, sure."

"With lots of meat!! Meat!!"

"I'll have vegetables and a big pile of bean sprouts!!"

"Like I haven't heard that one before, Usopp."

"Hehe! But this place is just incredible!! Are all of these really Sennenryuu?"

"Looks like it."

"So much for the ryuukotsu, wouldn't you say, Nami-swan? If all the bodies are like this, it'll turn out to be just another fairytale."

"So, that whole 'elixir of eternal youth' thing…?"

"A dream within a dream. With everything covered in coral like this, it's impossible to get at their bones."

"Guess you're right."

"The marines were just wasting their time."

* * *

"Bwu-he! Bwu-he!! Bwu-heh-heh-heh-heh!" Nelson Royale attempted to cough out all the water in his lungs, lying belly-first on the ground, before chuckling menacingly as he watched the straw-hats walk away. "Guehehehe!! You pathetic fools! I won't die that easily! I have to thank you for showing me this place! But, not just yet!" he leered over at a cluster of the dragons. "Sennenryuu! With this many, I can have as much ryuukotsu as I want!" a crunch of stone prompted him to look behind him.

"MOVE." Erik growled, sopping wet and without his trademark haircurl.

"Erik, look! A whole flock of Sennenryuu!!" he pointed out at the flock. "I'll pay more! Let's make another deal!! With a live Sennenryuu, we can extract the elixir-"

"OUT OF MY WAY!!!!" Erik screamed, slashing forward and into Nelson Royale, severing his spine. He was dead before he hit the ground. The straw-hats, however, were alerted that all was not well on lost island. Luffy turned to see Erik standing on the ridge, pruning his hair back into its singular curl, a vein on his forehead throbbing angrily.

"Straw-hat…" he growled.

* * *

Well, there! I wanted to continue this chapter, but then it'd get too long, and it'd end at a weird spot, so I'll just make a cliffhanger here! We've got one more chapter to go, and then we'll be in the thick of the grand line! Finally! Ugh, I'm so TIRED of this arc! But it is totally necessary for the overall plot!

Cookies and one internet to whoever finds the hints of why I included this arc. You'd have to search pretty far back, though, since I've had this planned out since the very beginning of the story.

Y'know, I think I missed this story's birthday! Happy belated birthday to the will of D, which is now one year old! Joy!

The reference in the last real chapter was to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!?!? Lol.

I don't feel like making a long author's notes this time, so other than that, I'll get right to work on the next chapter. I wanna be done with this arc so BAAAAAAAD~~~~!

Five reviews gets me working on the next chapter, ten gets my ass in high gear!!

Review. You know you want to.


	28. Enter, The Grand Line

I'm crying. I am honest-to-god crying as I type this. It's terrible… I think it's safe to say that Akainu has secured the position of being the one person that one piece fans will hate the most, forever, no matter what anybody else does. ;~; uuuuuuuuuuu… ace…

Goddammit, I'm not crying! Go read your damn story!

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Disclaimer: don't own.

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"what the hell!" Luffy exclaimed, shocked to see that the mercenary was still alive. "I thought you were dead already!" Erik snarled.

"if that fat tub of lard can wash up on shore, then so can I." he said in a calm, quiet voice. "but I have to thank you for what you've done." He lifted his arms to gaze out from the top of the hill. "behold! The beautiful radiance of lost island… isn't it wonderful?" Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

"I think it's too much to ask if he's had a change of heart because of the landscape…" gold roger mumbled.

"THIS is the source of the elixir of eternal youth… the ryuukotsu!" Erik grinned savagely.

"but! With the ryuukotsu all calcified like this, there's no way you can get at the ryuukotsu!" Erik smirked.

"ah, but you seem to be forgetting the bounty of the LIVING Sennenryuu right in front of us." He gestured out to where the Sennenryuu flew, and chattered, and mated. "very well, then. How about this: I'm tired of this meaningless fighting. You've more than proven your strength, and if either of us were to fight the other, I have no doubt neither of us would win. So, why don't we simply share this good fortune, and eliminate the need to fight?"

"not interested." Luffy responded automatically, without any prior thinking.

"don't you want eternal life!" Erik shouted.

"don't want it." Said Luffy.

"LIAR! There isn't a man alive that doesn't fear death! And for us, the men who have eaten the devil fruits, we already have a foot and a half into the world of hell! There's no way that you don't fear death!" Erik screamed. Sanji snorted and tapped away his ashes.

"that's what you'd think…" Zoro grinned.

"if this guy does what he's set out to do, then he'll die with a smile on his face." Alvida twirled her mace, somehow making it seductive.

"Luffy-kun is way too powerful to die anyway. Nothing short of the three admirals could possibly take our captain down." Erik jerked back before calming himself with a wave of a hand.

"fine, then. Then you shall all stay put while I claim the ryuukotsu for myself!"

"NOOOO!" Apis screamed as she rushed forward.

"Stay put, you little pest!" Erik whipped a razorwind at Apis. Usopp only barely managed to tackle Apis out of the way.

"Apis! are you alright?" the girl nodded. "you shouldn't be so reckless!" Apis looked up from Usopp's belly and glared daggers at Erik.

"even if it's reckless, I know that I have to protect them! This is a sacred place for the Sennenryuu! I won't let murderers like him come here and defile this land with their blood and greed! I will protect this place… FOREVER!" she screamed the last word enough that every Sennenryuu in the area stopped what they were doing to look at her. Luffy felt a slight wind blow up, enough to topple his hat off his head. When he bent down to pick it up, his eyes widened.

"what…?" Luffy breathed. Inside of the cup of the hat were three green leaves, still throbbing with life.

"looks like somebody was listening…" roger murmured, awestruck.

"so, you still intend to stop me…" Erik growled, glancing around at the assembled crew. " then you shall all die HERE! Kama kama no WHIRLWIND SCYTHE!" an X-shaped blast of wind flew out from his fingertips. Luffy merely growled and waved his hand. A shield of water rose from a nearby creek, negating the dangerous attack. Erik's miniscue eyes widened. "what!"

"stay back, everyone. This one is mine." Luffy cracked his knuckles. "I made a promise to Ryuuji." He focused back on the bounty hunter. "you were wrong on one thing, okama. If you and me truly fought… there would be no contest. Nothing you can possibly do could beat a water-water man." Erik's eyes widened.

"what!" Luffy whipped his hands back behind him in the man's shock.

"GOMU GOMU NO BAZOOKA!" the hands shot forward, slamming into Erik's gut and sending him flying off into the sky.

"UWAAAAAAAAAH!..." his scream faded into the distance. There was silence…

"we… we did it!" Apis cheered with overflowing joy. Luffy smirked.

"I'm just surprised he didn't try to dodge. He must have been more surprised than I thought." Luffy looked over where Apis was staring, to see practically the whole island huddled over a ridge, staring with shocked fascination at the Sennenryuu flock. "heh. Bet they thought they were just legends." Apis ran over to them, grinning.

"hey, come on! Bet they're scared out of their minds right now!" Nami giggled a bit at that as she waved the rest of the crew over. Luffy waved Alvida over.

"go find gin and Kuro, and tell them to prepare to sail. I doubt this island stays topside for very long." She nodded, flipping off her sandals and sliding away. Luffy ran back towards his original crew, grinning all the way.

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"SET SAIL! HOIST ANCHOR! GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND ADJUST THE SAILS!" gin roared to his crew, aboard the flying Dutchman for the ride up reverse mountain. Both Kuro and gin had been sent ahead to find what happened to Arlong's crew, and if the marines had found them as well. Luffy smiled as he hung from the rail.

"you wanna come with, Apis?" Apis shook her head.

"I had a lot of fun with you guys. I really want to come with… but I've decided to stay on the island." Apis looked up to Bokuden, who was by her side. "I've decided to learn our customs and ways from grandpa Bokuden. And then, just as our ancestors protected the Sennenryuu, I'll protect the dragon's nest. I'll wait for the day that all the baby Sennenryuu come back to this island." Usopp scratched his head.

"but, wait, the next time they come back…" he quickly did the math on his fingers. "won't that be in another thousand years?" Sanji conked him on the head.

"idiot. Don't say stuff to ruin her dream." Apis shook her head.

"oh, no, I know that I won't be around that long. But my children will, or their children. And we'll protect this island, forever!" Luffy grinned… and then turned stiff as a board, sitting up ramrod straight. Apis blinked and looked at him. "eh… Luffy?"

"**Do you mean to protect the divine beasts forever?" **Luffy intoned, eyes shining with an otherworldly light, his voice echoing when it should not echo. Zoro's eyes widened as he backed into the wall. He knew instantly what was going on.

"h-him…" Zoro murmured.

"**then accept your reward." **Luffy slammed his palms together, and a tidal wave surged through the screaming crowd. Yet, miraculously, the people remained unharmed, as if a great plague had passed over them. The waters converged on Apis, who was only able to get out one startled scream before being enveloped. the small girl rose into the air, the sea forming a cocoon around the girl. Nami rushed forward and yanked on Luffy's shoulder.

"LUFFY!" she screamed over the suddenly rushing waves. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Luffy turned his gaze upon her, and the breath caught in her throat. Whatever it was that was looking at her, it wasn't her captain.

"**do not interfere, mortal. This is the business of the divine." **Kronos intoned through Luffy's mouth, his mere whisper somehow drowning out even the roaring surf. Kronos turned back to the cocoon and widened his hands. and as the arms slowly stretched away from each other, so the cocoon also elongated. Like a bar of toffee, it was pulled, thinner and thinner, longer and longer…

And then, Kronos slapped Luffy's palms together once more. The cocoon exploded outward, and a body slowly drifted to the ground, held up by wisps of steam. Everybody gasped as the body settled to a stop.

Apis was a girl no longer. In clothes that seemed to be of a bygone era, seemingly sown of liquid silver and gold, with rubies, amethysts and a multitude of assorted precious gems woven into the cloth, Apis was a fully-grown woman. An incredibly beautiful woman, too; if Sanji hadn't known she was a girl moments before, he would have swooned over her as much as he did Alvida. Apis slowly opened her eyes as Kronos stood, then began hovering in the air.

"**I have re-wrought you in the likeness of the Titans, as ageless as time itself, so that you may better serve us. Should you find a man you deem suitable, he, too, shall be remade. I charge thee with the stewardship of the Dragon's nest, I give thee my blessing, the blessing of the master of time, and I name thee The Eternal Guardian." **Luffy's body began to sink to the boat. **"and now, I sleep once more…" **and Luffy collapsed to the gangplanks, the deity possessing his body gone. Everybody was silent. Nothing moved, nothing sounded out, not even the sea…

Until Zoro stood and picked Luffy's body up. "what you just saw was the divine whimsy of Kronos, ancient god of time, and Luffy's patron deity. He has marked Apis as one of his own, one of his charges; an immortal human, if I heard right. You should feel honored." Zoro knelt to the gobsmacked Apis, still balancing his captain in his arms. "good day, My Lady Guardian." And Zoro quietely walked to the captain's quarters. He glanced over his shoulders and glared slightly, enough to break the crew from their stupor. "set sail."

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"uuuuugh…" Luffy groaned as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his head. "awww, jeez… my head is throbbing… how much did I drink last night?"

"oh, you're up." Zoro spoke as he slapped a cold compress into Luffy's hand. "here. That should help with the pounding." Luffy pressed it to his forehead, sighing in relief.

"oooh… that's the good stuff…"

"Kronos possessed your body." Zoro spoke, answering the unspoken question. Luffy's eyebrows shot up. "he did some freaky magic and turned Apis into an adult, then made her immortal." The captain's jaw fell open.

"hu… wha…" he mumbled. Zoro nodded.

"it was a sight to see. He said that for the gift, she had to watch the dragon's nest forever, and he called her the Eternal Guardian." Luffy slumped back in his bed.

"no way… he made her a Guardian…?" Zoro arched an eyebrow.

"that name means something to you?"

"roger explained the idea to me when we were training in the golden age. When Kronos was still the head Titan, before he got overthrown-"

"overthrown?" Zoro interrupted. "Kronos got overthrown?" Luffy nodded.

"yeah. I asked roger about that, but he said it wasn't important and that I shouldn't ask him again. Anyways, when Kronos was still the boss, he had people, scattered across the world, that were infused with his essence. They ruled his cities, managed his armies and preached in his churches. They were stronger, faster and lived longer than anybody else around them, so that they may continue Kronos' work without him having to replace them time and time again from old age or battle injuries. They were the Guardians, and they were blessed by the king of the gods himself." Luffy pulled at his face. "the Eternal Guardians were the ones who ruled over them. They were the people who Kronos himself went to when he needed work done on earth. They were the ultimate culmination of his power. Extreme speed, strength, wisdom, beauty, completely ageless, you name it, they had it. As far as I know, there have been only a dozen Eternal Guardians ever created. And he made Apis one…"

"the Sennenryuu must be really important to him." Zoro mumbled, slightly stunned by the knowledge. Luffy nodded.

"yeah… but why? As far as I know, they belonged jointly to Poseidon and… another god…" and Luffy grimaced, as the knowledge of that hidden island resurfaced and made an acid taste rise. "enough of that. How long was I out?"

"only a few minutes." The swordsman answered. The captain stood and unhooked his sword from his side, almost completely unused throughout the entire adventure.

"good. Then there's still time. Watch the crew while I'm gone, Zoro." Luffy turned into mist and drifted out an empty window, before dropping into the sea and shooting away. Zoro nodded, smiling.

"aye aye, captain."

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"so, what do you think the Sennenryuu want?" Luffy asked roger as they soared through the water. The pirate king shrugged.

"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."

"oh well. We'll find out when we get there." Luffy broached the surface of the water and landed standing on the surface. In front of him was a Sennenryuu, hovering in place close to the water, with it's tail outstretched to him.

"_get on my back, human. I shall take you to where you need to be." _Luffy arched an eyebrow, but leaped up onto the dragon's back nonetheless. The Sennenryuu roared and soared off into the sky, towards a patch of circling dragons. Luffy crawled up to it's head.

"hey! Where are we going!" he shouted over the rushing winds.

"_we are going to the council." _Was all the dragon said. And then, suddenly, they were there. All of the present Sennenryuu banked suddenly and began to hover. _"elders, I have brought the human touched by Kronos."_

"_very well." _Said another Sennenryuu, sounding much older than Luffy's ride. _"human! What is your name?"_

"uh… Monkey D. Luffy." He said. "and, uh, I've got another along for the ride with me…" roger formed in the air, hovering over nothing.

"name's Gold Roger. Doubt you've heard of me, but to the humans, I'm a household name." the Sennenryuu broke out into muted screeches to each other, too many for Luffy to decipher. Finally, the first that had spoken broke from the mutterings and focused on Luffy.

"_we have heard of you, Monkey D. Luffy. One of our servants has told us of your request." _Luffy cocked his head in confusion.

"eh? Servant? Who told you about me?"

"_a Giant Seagull named Feathermoon. I believe he carried you through the sky for a time." _Luffy's confused look still remained… and then his eyes lit up in recognition.

"holy CRAP! You mean that seagull before I fought Buggy!"

"_we have heard your plight, and, with the wisdom of millennia gathered between us councilmembers, have chosen to pledge the Sennenryuu race to your goal, and the revival of our god." _Luffy was gobsmacked. Roger, however, picked up on something.

"wait, your god? You worship Kronos?"

"_yes. When we were remade as we were, from our humble roots as sea kings, we were rebellious, and unwilling to accept our new master. Yet, he was strong, excessively so, and brought us under his dominion before we could break free. And so, as a final act of defiance, we turned to Kronos, the only deity willing to oppose our tyrant, and beseeched our cause. He saw what we were, what we had been, and what we would become, and he was pleased. He gave to us the gift of reincarnation, the greatest of our gifts. Our souls would be brought back into the next generation, breaking the hold of death over ourselves." _

"wow…" Luffy breathed. "that's… incredible…"

"the power of the gods… you hear that term thrown around a lot, but to actually witness it…" gold roger shook his head. "it's almost frightening what they can do to us…"

"_I have no doubt that without our worship throughout the ages, our lord Kronos would be as comatose as the rest of his kin." _the Sennenryuu stated with conviction. _"and yet, were it not for a sign we were given, we would have been content to stay out of the coming war, to aid in the shadows." _Luffy looked up.

"oh? And what's that sign?" the Sennenryuu lowered his head…

And onto the neck waddled the baby Sennenryuu: the reincarnated Ryuuji. "Ryuuji!" Luffy exclaimed.

"_as you know, elder Ryuuji recently broke bonds with his body once again, and was cast anew." _the Sennenryuu stated, head still bowed. Roger jerked up.

"wait, you mean that Ryuuji was… one of you guys?" the collective bobbed in unison.

"_he is the eldest of us, one of the first two Sennenryuu plucked from the sea. The other, his mate, was struck down away from the dragon's nest, and so was not reborn." _The Sennenryuu answered. _"Normally, he would be the unequivocal leader of the council; but, when he was lost, and now that he is but a babe, I am the leader. I am Ryuouja." _Ryuuji bobbed his head.

"_I am barely capable of getting my own egg-skin off, let alone lead the council. My son leads in my place." _Luffy stared.

"…son?"

"_in the time when we were created, Ryuouja was born to my mate and I. though he has been reincarnated many times over to many different parentage, he is still my son. The Sennenryuu measure lineage by souls, not by flesh." _

"that… kinda makes sense, actually."

"_Yes. Continue, Ryuouja."_

"_thank you, father. We are eternally grateful for you bringing father back to the dragon's nest before his time; losing him would most likely shatter the council beyond repair. And yet, there is another sign that we have been given, that we are to give ourselves whole-heartedly to your cause." _Gold roger arched an eyebrow.

"oh? And what is it?" Ryuuji waddled up.

"_behold!" _Ryuuji breathed in…

And a small stream of flame flew out.

It was a tiny stream, not much longer than Luffy's pinky. Yet, the sight was so startling that he nearly toppled off his ride. "KRONOS ABOVE!" he shouted.

"_incredible, is it not?" _Ryuouja commented. _"for the first time ever, we, like our extinct scaled cousins, spit fire from our bellies. The fact that the one who made his reincarnation possible, that is to say, you, is the current hand of Kronos is not lost upon us. And most of all, you are of the line of D. we could not possibly refuse you. And so, with our combined wisdom, we pledge ourselves to your service." _The Sennenryuu council sank below Luffy, what he supposed was their way of kneeling. _"command us, Hand Of Kronos."_

"Kronos above…" gold roger murmured. "he just keeps picking up recruits like he's waving around fly-paper… this is getting ridiculous…"

"uh… um… thank you. rise." Luffy commanded. They did so.

"_now, that being said, we are of no use to you right now." _Ryuouja began again. _"while this is the dragon's nest, and the main reincarnation point, there are countless other islands similar to this scattered all across the world. It will take time to gather even a fraction of them together to form a fighting force. I am sorry." _

"oh, uh, don't be! Just, um, take your time. Gather what things you may need, and find me when the time is right… wait, how WILL you find me once you're done?" Ryuouja made a noise. Luffy supposed it was a dragon's chuckle.

"_now, that is an easy answer. Come!" _Luffy's Sennenryuu jerked, and the boy only barely managed to grab on before it soared to the leader's side. _"you will not be leaving alone." _the Sennenryuu outstretched his wing, and baby Ryuuji waddled out onto it. Luffy panicked.

"wait, whoa! Time out! He just hatched, right! Doesn't he need to, like, stay with his mom or something!"

"_our ways are different than the ways of you mammals. Once you are hatched, you need no special care or diet. He is perfectly fine." _Luffy grimaced.

"but… he's just a baby! He'll get in the way if somebody manages to capture him!"

"_I am hardly defenseless, Luffy." _Ryuuji commented with somewhat of a sarcastic tone, as he coughed a fireball out, almost as if to prove his point. _"and we Sennenryuu grow incredibly quickly right after we hatch. In one week alone, I can guarantee you that I will be up to your waist."_ Luffy glanced to roger, asking with his eyes. Roger shrugged.

"I see no problem with it. If he can find his own meals once he grows up and keep him from being used as bait, then I can't find a problem with taking him with us." He turned back to Ryuouja. "just one question: how DO you plan to find him? You've never told us that…"

"_familial bonds in Sennenryuu allow us somewhat of a homing beacon to kin. That beacon fades somewhat as the centuries pass, hence why Ryuuji could become lost. But the bond between father," _he jerked his head towards himself, _"and son,' _he gestured to Ryuuji, _"are especially strong." _Luffy and roger were struck silent for nearly half a minute.

"waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait, let me get this straight… you're telling me, that the son, is father to his father?" he rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. "oh, that's a mindfuck… that's a mindfuck right there…"

"TIME PARADOX!" roger yelled. Luffy ignored him. He had grown used to his random outbursts from time to time.

"I'm going to forget I heard that, for my own sanity. I guess he can come along…" he picked up the baby dragon, stroking his head with his finger. "heh. And besides, I always wanted to have a pet. Hehe…" Ryuuji bit his finger. "OW!"

"_I am not a pet! I am a noble Sennenryuu elder!" _he protested indignantly.

"y'know, I kinda liked you better when you were senile… OW!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Nami-swaaaan! My report of love~~~!" Sanji yelled down from the crow's nest. "I see a massive patch of rain clouds up ahead! And looks like there's a thunderstorm underneath them… I think I see the rest of the ships circling around in them!" Nami looked down at her map.

"looks like we're back on track. We should be able to see the red line soon."

"guuuuuUUUUUUUYS~~~! WAIT UUUUUUUP!" Nami jerked her head up in surprise.

"is that…?" she ran to the back of the ship. "when did he?"

"WAIT UUUUUUP!" Luffy sprinted across the ocean surface, clutching something in his hands to his chest. With a leap and a push of the sea, he flew the final distance and slammed into the ship's deck. When he made sure his mysterious package was safe, he waved to Nami. "yo!"

"Luffy? When did you get out? I thought you were still sleeping in your room!" Nami exclaimed. He grinned.

"that's what I told him to do while I was out! Check out what I brought back!" he slowly unfurled his hands, and Nami gasped. Ryuuji chirped at her merrily. "it's Ryuuji! The Sennenryuu said that he wanted to come along pretty bad, so I made him our mascot!" Ryuuji bit his finger. "OW! Dammit, Ryuuji!" the dragon chirped at him. "well, then what position AM I supposed to give you, huh! You can't exactly be the doctor or something!"

"Luffy!" Nami whacked him on his head. "you STOLE Ryuuji from his parents!"

"Nami-san! What's going on!" Sanji ran over, instantly spotting the dragon. "oi, Luffy! Who's that?"

"Ryuuji! Our new mascot! OW!" Sanji eyed the chick, before taking a drag on his cigarette.

"mascot? I say emergency food rations…" Ryuuji spat an ember in Sanji's visible eye. "GAAAAH! DAMMIT!" Luffy laughed.

"HAHAHA! He hates you more than me now! Thanks, Sanji!" Nami rolled her eyes and glanced down at her map. Her eyes narrowed. "wait… is this…?" she turned to walk away. "group meeting! In the conference room! Now!"

"Yes, Nami-swaaaan!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"look at this." Nami slammed the map onto the conference room table. "I've heard the rumors, but it's here on the map as well. If it's true, then the entrance to the grand line is a mountain." Everybody in the room, sans Luffy, perked their heads up at that.

"what? The mountain…?" Alvida asked.

"we have to crash through the mountain?"

"the hell…?" Sanji muttered.

"look here." Nami pointed towards small the canal lines. "I thought it was crazy too, but there are canals drawn on the mountainside, which must mean we have to climb it." Luffy smirked, but said nothing. He wanted to see if they'd figure it out on their own.

"the hell are you talking about? Even if there WAS a canal, it's impossible for a ship to climb a mountain." Zoro stated resolutely. Alvida smirked.

"are you sure you're not reading that map wrong…?" she asked smugly. Nami felt the vein on her forehead throb.

"no! I'm positive this is what the map says!" Sanji looked back and forth between the two women, unsure which to support. He wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

"you got that map from Buggy, right? You sure you want to trust it?" Zoro mumbled, taking a swig from a glass of ale. Luffy smirked.

"I'd trust it. After all, Buggy wouldn't navigate by a faulty map. He's not that suicidal. And besides, he's been to the grand line before, so he'd know if it was wrong." Nami jerked her head up.

"hy, Luffy. You've been kinda quiet since you got back. You think this is right?" Luffy held up Ryuuji, who was sitting on his palm.

"of course I've been quiet. I've been playing with Ryuuji! And yeah, I know it's right. Shanks told me so." Usopp ran into the room, panting.

"hey, guys! Get out here, I need help! The steering wheel's frozen up!"

"idiot. What did you do?"

"I did nothing! The current's too strong!" Nami jerked her head up.

"wait, say that again?"

"I said that the current's too strong!" Nami's eyes widened, and she snapped her fingers.

"of course! That's it!" Luffy smiled.

"finally figured it out?" Nami looked over at him.

"you knew? The whole time?"

"of course! I'm intimately connected with the sea! Of course I would know the minute it happened." He stood and walked over to the map, tracing the canal with his finger. "see the mountain? On each side of it, in the four blues, there are massively strong currents flowing into each side. This causes a polarization flip, of sorts, for Reverse Mountain, so that instead of down, water flows UP. This wouldn't happen if the mountain wasn't a Winter Island, though. All four currents flow up the canals, and when they meet at the top, they splash together and flow out the fifth canal, into the grand line." He closed his eyes and focused on the sea. "there's a catch, though. The canal's pretty narrow, and, like Usopp found out, once the current catches you, 5your path is pretty much set in. if you don't get it exactly right, you smash straight into the red line… and are completely obliterated." Silence followed his words. He then grinned, feeling the pensive mood. "but hey! You've got me! I can guide us through, even WITH the current! We've got nothing to worry about!" Zoro scoffed, though the cloud over the group was gone.

"I ain't ever heard of anything like that. Ships riding up mountains." Sanji smiled wistfully.

"I've heard something."

"about Reverse mountain?" Alvida asked.

"nope. I heard from old man zeff that almost half of the wannabes are killed just trying to get into the grand line. So I already know it ain't easy to get in." Luffy shivered with excitement.

"ooh, this is getting me pumped! We're not even in, and the grand line is trying to kill us! I'm so excited!" the group heard the rain intensify.

"Sanji'kun, the sails!"

"yes, Nami-swan~!" he charged off. Luffy ran after him, crafting three water clones out of the air.

"go get to the other ships and make sure they don't crash! I don't want anybody dying on me!"

"yes, sir!" they charged off into the downpour. Luffy smiled and walked out onto merry's figurehead, basking in the rush of power from the rain.

"merry… we're almost there. We're almost back to the grand line…! Back with our nakama… back with adventure!" Luffy grinned. "can you feel it, merry? The aura of power! It feels almost like the grand line is welcoming us back, welcoming us with open arms!"

"_I feel it, luffy. I feel it in my timbers… I feel it in my soul." _Luffy laughed and danced about in the rain, looking very much like a madman.

"adventure! Going back! This is where things change! This is where the fruit of all my years of preparation pay off! I'll stop everything from going wrong!" he pumped his fist. "the pirates, the marines, the world government, I'll stop them all! So what if they try to kill me! I'll just stop them first! So come on, world! I'm right here!" he turned to the looming red line, towering over him like a monstruous deity. "BRING IT ON!" he roared, into the pouring rain, to the world. And, just for a moment, Luffy thought he could see a few green leaves being buffeted by the winds.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"the grand line… not a single one of my plans could have foreseen this…" Kuro murmured as they shot up the mountain. "I could not have possibly seen me entering the greatest battleground in the world…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"the grand line… once cut, twice careful, eh?" Gin grinned as the water splashed his face. "let's hope I'm a bit luckier under Luffy's command…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"the grand line… my old home…" Arlong spoke, running his hand along the rail. "I swore I'd never come back to this place, yet here I am… Jinbei… captain… would you be proud of who I am today…?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I see it! That crack in the mountain!" Alvida shouted from the crow's nest, binoculars slammed to her face. "Luffy! We're drifting to the right!" Luffy waved his hands, and they were back on track. With nary a hitch, they passed through the narrow gates, and into the canal.

"WE DID IT!" Sanji and Usopp roared, dancing a merry jig on the deck. Unbeknownst to them, a dark shadow passed by the door to the hold.

"and now, we just head straight to the peak!" Nami cheered, throwing off her raincoat to expose the tank top underneath. Luffy grinned.

"I can see one piece already…" he whispered. There were smiles everywhere on the going merry, as they all comtemplated their futures…

"YOU BASTARDS!"

"until Erik leaped out of the hold and onto the rail, stuck in an unsightly squint because of his missing sunglasses. Everybody froze.

"eh?"

"uh-oh."

"the okama fruit guy…"

"bastard, you're still alive?"

"you don't give up…"

"SHUT UP!" Erik roared. "you have crossed me for the last time! thanks to you, my dream of gaining the ryuukotsu was ruined!" he pointed at Luffy. "but I will not let it end like that! I will at least have the pleasure of taking your fifty million beli head! SURRENDER NOW!" Luffy flinched.

"what should we do…?" Sanji whispered. "if he uses thaet kamaitachi thing here, who knows what he'll destroy?"

"and we don't have any room to move, either…" answered Zoro. Erik laughed menacingly.

"well, well! Not one of you can lay a finger on me! Hahahahahaha!" Nami glanced down, and saw something that made her click. She instantly pointed to Ryuuji, who was in the kitchen window.

"look! Ryuukotsu!" Erik whipped his head to the side. And with that, Nami punted him in the chest. With a strangled yelp, Erik fell overboard and into the rushing waves. He skipped a few times over the surface, before settling underwater. She grinned. "bye bye now!" everybody present thumped their palms.

"oh! Shoulda thought of that!" they said as one.

"since he's a hammer, he won't be bothering us anymore!"

Usopp laughed. "and even if he could, this current's too choppy!" Sanji had hearts in his eyes.

"that's my clever Nami-san!" he swooned. Luffy merely laughed as they passed through the clouds.

"look! There's the peak right there!" he pointed upwards, and sure enough, a spray of rainbow-tinted water shone in the sun. the going merry shot into this spray, flipped about, and began surfing down the final canal. Luffy sat atop merry's head, filled with the same childish glee that he had felt the first time he traveled down reverse mountain.

"the greatest ocean in the world… the grand line! The ocean of dreams!" he pumped his fist. "WE'RE HERE!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"bwa-hack! Bwa-hack!" Erik coughed as he was hauled up by his coat into a small dinghy, outside the canal. He absently noted that despite the massive current being pulled upward, the boat was staying perfectly still without an anchor or anything, bobbing as if on a calm lake instead of a raging maelstrom. "th-thank you, st-bwa-hack! Stranger."

"one is welcome." Erik shakily looked up at his savior. All he could see through the inky blackness of the night was a single, gleaming golden eye. "after all, one is going to provide one with more power." Erik shakily stood.

"what? What do you-"

"oh, do shut up." And Erik felt the steel dagger slam into his stomach. **"singlet." **Erik screamed a soundless scream at the word. **"lock." **And then the man pushed the dead mercenary over the side of the boat, to drift to the bottom of the sea. "one has completed the purpose one needed one for, so one is no longer necessary." As the man traced his finger in the air, a small breeze caressed his figure. "one is coming for one, Monkey D. Luffy… and one will not survive one's ways. One can guarantee it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

BAM! Finally in the grand line!

Well, as of my typing this chapter, only one person figured out the point of including the Sennenryuu! I had this whole arc planned out since the days of Buggy! Goes to show the people that think I'm doing this by the seat of my pants! You're dead wrong!

That being said, I have no use for the Sennenryuu until a much, MUCH later date. So, I put them on a bus! Hope you don't mind! They'll play a major role later.

The mystery man…? Oh, you'll see… you'll see…

Man, I am so bummed out right now… 574 was a buzz-kill… as much as I am completely sure that oda-sama is a genious and has this shit all planned out, I can't help but miss the hell out of ace… he was a certified badass. him, and Jack Rakan lost in the same week… the world's losing too much awesome at a time, dammit…

You know the drill, five for a chapter, ten for me working faster…

Review. You know you want to.


	29. Whale Of A Tale

Wow. I am in awe. As of my typing this chapter, I am now the proud owner of both the most reviewed story in one piece fanfiction, and the longest! I'm absolutely gob-smacked. I've suddenly become the Chuunin Exam Day of the one piece community. Well, maybe not that… Rune still has most chapters… but given how this is dragging on, that won't last long either.

No matter! I still wouldn't be in the position that I am in without you, my faithful viewers! I love you guys so damn much, you know that? So, in honor of my fans, I'm writing this one out extra-fast! Don't expect this kind of speed every time, though… hmm, if that's true, then maybe I should take down that 5/10 review thing after all the chapters… it'd be just fishing for reviews then, and that's not fair…

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Disclaimer: don't own.

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"WOO-HOO!!!" Luffy cheered as they chain of ships soared down the mountain, straight down through the clouds they just climbed through. "Hahaha!! This is great!!" The giddy happiness exuding from his was contagious, as nearly all of the straw hats sported face-splitting grins. "We're finally here!!"

"Grooooooooooaaa…" a low moaning sound echoed out from below. Zoro frowned.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"What!?" Nami shouted.

"I just heard a strange noise!!"

"Must've been the wind!!"

"No, I heard it too!!" Alvida shouted from the steering wheel. "Sounded like a foghorn!"

"There're a lot of rock formations that could've made that noise!!" Nami shouted back, her ire rising.

"But what if it's not!?" Alvida retorted. Nami had no response that wouldn't devolve into a 'did not, did so' fight. The point was moot, anyway, as a shadow rose up in the cloud. Usopp squinted and adjusted his goggles, trying to make out the shape.

"OI!! I think I see a mountain up ahead!"

"A mountain!? It can't be!" Nami shouted to the sniper.

"But I can see it from here, Nami-san!!" Sanji shouted from his position hanging from the ropes.

"There shouldn't be anything from to the twin capes but open sea!!" Luffy's eyes widened, and he jerked his head to the three ships ahead of them.

"Oh, shit…! Laboon!!" he whispered. He jumped up and inhaled, before beginning to scream. "STRAW HAT ARMADA, HARD TO PORT!!! AS SOON AS YOU GET OUT OF THE CANAL, HARD TO PORT!!!! HARD TO PORT!!!!" he raced up to the steering wheel, ripping it out of Alvida's hands, just as they shot out of the cloud.

"UWAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" everybody on each ship screamed. Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity as each ship tried to dodge out of the way of the massive whale.

"It's not a mountain!!! It's a black wall!!!" Sanji screamed.

"Wrong!! It's-!!" Nami shouted.

"Then what the hell is it!?" Zoro cut her off.

"IT'S A WHALE!!!!" Luffy screamed over the din. "It hasn't seen us yet, so hard to port!!!!" the slope evened out, and Luffy whipped the steering wheel to the side, whiplashing everybody aboard. 'Hmm… we're dodging it, but how do we get swallowed again? We need the log pose from old man Crocus… I don't particularly feel like getting into a fight with a whale as big as a mountain just to get swallowed, so… hmm…'

"Allow me." Luffy felt roger soar away from him. He wasn't exactly sure what he did, but it definitely pissed Laboon off. With an angry roar, the whale began swallowing the sea.

"AAAAAAHHH!!!! WE'RE GOING TO BE EATEN!!!!!" Usopp screamed, clutching onto the mast with all his might. Luffy growled and leaped out from the ship, into the open sea. With a parting scream, the four ships were devoured by the behemoth. With lightning-fast speed, the straw-hat captain climbed up Laboon's scars and onto its back.

"Where is it, where's the door…" he murmured, before finally seeing it. "THERE!!" he leaped for it and wrenched it open, disappearing into the whale's insides before it submerged under the water, all traces of pandemonium gone.

* * *

"What do you think?"

"'What do I think', he says." Sanji snarked. Zoro didn't even notice; he was too baffled already. "We clearly just got swallowed by a whale."

"Is this a dream…?" Usopp whispered, too stunned by the inexplicable sky and small island floating in front of them.

"Yeah. Probably a dream." Zoro answered.

"I'd go with we all just went crazy. Crazy sounds good right about now." Gin offered, the four ships moored around each other. All of the crews were dead silent, for really, what could they say to this?"

"We COULD all be having a mass hallucination… though I have no plans to figure out how to get out of this…" Kuro tucked his glassed in his breast pocket, kneading the bridge of his nose. "This is why I never went to the grand line… things were so much simpler back in east blue…"

"So, the house on that island…?" Nami asked.

"An illusion." The sea began to rise and part, as a massive squid rose from the depths.

"Ah… and this?" there was a moment's pause, before Alvida, Nami and Usopp screamed in unison. "A GIANT SQUID!!!!" the fighters tensed, ready to strike…

Before the house on the door was flung open, and three harpoons shot out at a dazzling speed, punching holes in the squid. With nary a sound, it fell back dead. Sanji smirked. "Looks like someone's home."

* * *

Luffy strolled down the metal passage, whistling aimlessly. "Man, even though I already know all of this exists, it still weirds me out! How was old man crocus able to build all of these tunnels into a living creature? Without killing it, even!"

"Very, VERY liberal amounts of tranquilizer. Enough to kill a flock of sea kings, I'd bet." Gold roger quipped as he materialized. Luffy rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, captain obvious. But seriously, how did he? I mean, how was he able to build this entire lattice of networks, hell, he's even able to create a hole in Laboon's stomach big enough for ships to sail through… why isn't Laboon dead and dying?" roger shrugged.

"I dunno. I'm not a doctor. But the concept isn't that different from your shipwright, is it?" Luffy frowned.

"Franky's different. He didn't have any vital organs… punctured… well, shit. He's got the stomach fridge." Roger snickered.

"Got ya there, boy!" Luffy flipped him the bird.

"Go suck a long one, old man." Roger smirked.

"You sure I haven't already?" Luffy blanched. "HAHAHA!! You're far too easy to psyche out!"

"I'm not even going to touch that can of worms." A thought struck the raven-haired boy, and he turned to his mentor. "Hey, roger, how did you get Laboon to swallow us? You didn't punch him or anything…" roger grinned evilly.

"Universal rule number one: men of any species do not like having things put where they ought not be put." Luffy's already pale face turned white as a sheet.

"Oh my god… you didn't." roger's grin answered back. "Dear Kronos above… you are the most evil man I have ever met in my life. Remind me to never piss you off, ever." Luffy felt Laboon begin to tilt, so he quickly altered the cohesion of his water to allow him to stick. "Hmm… seems like Laboon is starting up his little cutting phase again. Crocus'll have to dose him again."

"Yeah… can't believe this is where he's been hiding out all these years… he's not even trying to hide himself! I can't believe that the marines haven't tried to capture him."

"Maybe he hides out in Laboon when they come around." Roger laughed.

"Haha! I'll bet he does! No marine ship could possibly stand up to a house whale!!" Luffy chuckled.

"Ahh… Laboon… sad stuff, ain't it? He's been waiting for his nakama for fifty years, and most of them are floating dead in the Florian triangle… almost seems like a cosmic joke, doesn't it?" gold roger grimaced.

"Yeah, that does seem rather cruel… we're not gonna leave things the same here, are we?"

"Hell no. not when it's so easy to fix." Luffy tapped his chin as the walkway opened up to a wider chamber. "Now, wasn't there something that happened right about now…? Something… about baroque works…" Luffy's eyes shot opened. "AH!! Vivi and the crown guy are about to blow a hole in Laboon!!" he sprinted forward, eyes trained on his distant target. "Don't see them, don't see them, don't see them, don't see- there!!" he charged forward, arms outspread. Vivi and Mr. 9 didn't even notice he was there until he clotheslined them both into the door. "STOP THAT!!" he roared as they soared out through the door. Almost immediately, he spotted his ships. Without letting those two see him (after all, who knows what they'd tell about his powers once they got to whiskey peak?) he quickly changed directions and landed aboard the Flying Dutchman. He looked over at Arlong and nodded. "Yo."

"Good to see you're back with us. Who're those two weirdoes you brought with?" the fishman asked. Luffy looked back over at the two, who were desperately trying to keep themselves and their bazookas afloat.

"My guess? Whalers. They've got bazookas with enough firepower to blow a hole in the whale's stomach, and they were plotting before I knocked them in. somebody toss them a line before they digest!" Zoro quickly picked up a rope ladder and threw it to the two, and they wasted no time scrambling aboard. Luffy looked about, and saw that the Dutchman was fully crewed by fishmen. "So, I see you and gin made the switch."

"Yeah. Threw a few gangplanks over the merry and just used that as a stepping stone. We've both got all our people on the right ships now." Arlong grinned. "And by hell, if I ain't infatuated with this little beauty! She's practically made for fishman use!" Luffy turned away from him and reboarded the going merry.

"I'm glad to hear It." said Luffy distractedly, taking in the sight of Vivi once again. Luffy couldn't remember ever seeing Vivi again after he allowed her to stay in Alabasta, (although, given the state of his memory, that probably wasn't a safe bet) so seeing her again, seeing a nakama again that he hadn't seen for Kronos knew how many years… it was like a breath of fresh air, a cool glass of water in a desert. He absently noted that Sanji was drinking in her looks in a completely different way, if the heart in his eye was anything to go by. 'Always the horndog, eh, Sanji?'

Vivi felt the hard gaze on her, and looked up to see her attacker, staring at her with an emotion that she couldn't quite place. It wasn't lust, or at least, not the kind of lust the blonde staring hungrily at her had. It wasn't hatred, she knew that; why, she didn't know. Whatever the reason, it was making her distinctly uncomfortable. Nami looked up when she felt the boat still, and saw that the stomach acid ocean was calm.

"Ah! Look! The whale's calmed down!" she exclaimed.

"Looks like it. Maybe the old man finally did him in." gin pondered.

"Maybe." Zoro grunted. "So. We saved your asses, now who are you?" Vivi inched away from the infatuated cook, to mutter to her partner.

"Mr. 9, these are pirates!!" she hissed.

"I can see that, miss Wednesday!!" Mr. 9 answered back. "But, I think we would convince them… probably…" crocus slapped a foot down on the metal floors.

"Are you two scoundrels still here!?" he shouted. Everybody present jerked their heads up. Gold roger whistled.

"Man. Crocus has really let himself go." He whispered. Luffy tried very hard not to snicker.

"Don't make me repeat myself!! As long as I'm still here, I won't let you lay a single finger on Laboon!!" crocus shouted. Vivi and her partner smirked and slowly stood, dragging their bazookas up with them.

"You may say that, but we cannot retreat!"

"Yes, this whale is our mission!!" Mr. 9 shouted. "We won't let you interfere with our whaling anymore!!" the two aimed their weapons as one. "We'll blow a hole in its stomach!! Let 'er rip, baby!!"

"Roger!!!" the two fired as one, as crocus began running at the shots. Roger discreetly created a shield of water around the balls, to soften the oncoming blow.

"You…!" crocus roared as he jumped out, and took the shots to his body. He fell to the ocean of gastric acid, smoking.

"Good thing you did there." Luffy mumbled.

"Yeah, well, who knows if he's still in shape from his pirate days? He looks like he's been lounging for a while, so combine that with his old age, and two bazookas could kill him!" roger whispered back as Vivi and the kingly wannabe began laughing maliciously.

"Cease your pathetic resistance!!"

"I you want to protect the whale that badly, just try that again!!" mister nine crowed as Vivi cackled. Luffy arched an eyebrow.

'Man… Vivi is REALLY good at acting like a sadistic bitch. Baroque works must be rubbing off on her…' he pondered as he leaped up, and slammed the two together, knocking them out. He stepped over their bodies and jerked a thumb at them. "Tie them up." Two nameless Black Cats jumped up and began roping them two up. "Let's head over to the old man's island. I bet he's got quite a story to tell, if he's willing to take two cannons to the face for the whale." The four crews nodded.

"Yes, captain!" they chimed as one, as they leapt to adjust various sails and ropes. Luffy looked up at the whale's stomach and smiled sadly.

"Fifty years… waiting for Brook's return…"

* * *

"Thank you. You've helped me immensely." Said crocus, relaxing in his lawn chair. Luffy nodded.

"It's no trouble at all. I have… a duty, I suppose you could call it, to protect intelligent sea life. And, even if I didn't, blowing a hole in something's stomach… it's just not something I want to see." Crocus nodded.

"Regardless of why you did it, I still thank you." Alvida twirled her mace.

"so, what's the deal with the whale?" she was more than a little peeved at the moment, as her list of those not attracted to her immeasurable beauty was growing every day, with crocus being the latest addition. That seemed to be a problem on the grand line; nobody had a libido. "Why're these punks after it?"

"These two scoundrels are from a nearby town." Crocus kicked their bundle for good measure. "They're after the whale's meat. Laboon could probably feed their town for two or three years, at least." Nami looked over, curious.

"Laboon?" she asked questioningly.

"That's the whale's name." crocus replied. "He's a house whale. They inhabit west blue, and are the largest species of whale in the world. How could I possibly let him become food?" Luffy nodded.

"To see a house whale, let alone one this size in the grand line is pretty odd, old man. There has to be a story behind it." Crocus looked at Luffy and nodded.

"You seem pretty interested in my tale." Luffy smiled.

"Of course! I am, how you say, very invested in history. It's what made who I am today." Zoro had to hide a secretive grin at that. "and besides, what are all of our lives, except stories that have not yet been told, songs that have never parted lips, books that have never touched paper?" crocus couldn't help but grin at that.

"That's a romantic view of life… but I like it nonetheless. It reminds me of an old friend of mine." Gold roger didn't need to hide his beaming face. "But you're right. There is a tale behind Laboon. The tale of his being in the grand line… the tale of why he continues to bash his head against the red line, hoping that one day, it will crumble… and the tale of why he faces reverse mountain and bellows… all of these tales are intertwined in the same reason."

"A reason?" Nami echoed. Crocus nodded.

"Yes… for you see, Laboon is a whale, with the heart and feelings of a person. And he has been waiting earnestly for a very dear group of pirates to return here… for fifty years…" Luffy smiled sadly as the rest of the crew let out various noises of shock and surprise.

"F-fifty years!?" Usopp exclaimed. Crocus nodded.

"I'll tell you all of this now… for this is Laboon's story."

* * *

"Man, this water pipe is incredible!!" Usopp exclaimed as they sailed down the tube of sheet metal and rusted welding. Zoro scoffed.

"It's amazing that he's still alive after all this was made."

"I dunno, Laboon's pretty big." Gin mused, staring around at the creation. "He probably doesn't have that many organs out in all these extremities, other than blubber, blubber and more blubber. If he was careful, I could see this happening. Hey gramps!" he shouted down to crocus, sailing alongside them in his island ship. "Was this more of your 'having fun'?"

"This is my 'doctor' fun." He answered.

"Doctor? You're a doctor?" Alvida asked, somewhat impressed. Crocus nodded.

"I'm Laboon's doctor, yes. A while ago, I also used to run a clinic out on the main island. I was even a ship's doctor, years ago." Luffy laughed.

"Wow! That crew must have been first class, if you were able to do all this!" crocus smirked secretively.

"Oh, you have NO idea, straw-hat boy…" he slowed to a stop near a tall ladder, and began pulling himself up it. "Unfortunately, my ship's doctor days are long over. Unlike all you youngins', I don't have the time or the energy to go around doing idiotic things anymore." He glanced back as he reached the wheel. "Why is there so many of you, anyway? Pirates don't usually work together… you'd have to split the loot, then…" Luffy grinned.

"What can I say? I'm extra convincing!" crocus grinned.

"Is that so…" and he spun the wheel, as the metal door in Laboon's side slowly creaked open.

"OPEN SKY!!!" the straw hat armada cheered as one. Luffy absently noted both Vivi and the crown-guy waking up and untying their ropes. He pretended not to notice.

"Man, Laboon is really something… waiting for fifty years… those lousy pirates sure are making him wait a long time." Usopp mused. Sanji smacked him upside the head.

"Idiot. This _is _the grand line, y'know? If they never came back, then they're dead." Sanji let out a cloud of smoke. "There's no use waiting them anymore, after this long."

"Yeah… it's been fifty years, there's no point." Nami concurred. "I guess that just shows how unpredictable and chaotic this untamed sea is going to get."

"To think, this noble whale has waited this long…" Arlong murmured. "It truly shows the incredible strength of will that creatures of the sea have. To believe in such fragile humans, long after waiting becomes moot…" Usopp rounded on them.

"How can you heartless jerks say that!? You don't know that they're dead! They might still come back!! It's such a good story… a whale that continues to believe in his nakama's promise… isn't that right, old man!?" crocus rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yes… but the truth is crueler than you can believe. It was all part of their plan… those guys ran away from the grand line." The straw hat crew gasped.

"No way… those guys actually tried to abandon this whale?!" Usopp said angrily.

"Those bastards…" Arlong growled. "Its times like these that make me realize why I hate humans all over again… those spineless, oathless bastards…" Nami's eyes widened as she ignored everything Arlong had said.

"But, they tried to leave the grand line… that would mean that they tried to cross the clam belt, right?" crocus nodded.

"Even if they survived crossing the clam belt, they would never willingly return to the grand line. The seasons, the weather, the currents, even the winds, they are all completely unpredictable. Common logic is worthless in this ocean. The terrors of the grand line quickly overwhelm the weak-hearted."

"So, those weak-hearted shitheads, without a thought to their promise or your own life, packed up and hightailed it out of the ocean." Luffy was staring off into the sky, vaguely hearing their words, but not truly understanding them over the high-pitched 'yohohohohoho!!' ringing in his ears.

"I can kinda understand where they're coming from… my first trip was a disaster… but if they had a stake here, then why didn't they come and hold up their promise!?" gin shouted. "I may be a pirate, but at least I have some honor! I would at least have tried to come back here to tell him myself!!"

"But, if you know all of this, then why haven't you told him?" Nami questioned. "The whale understands human speech, right?"

"I did tell him." Crocus answered. "But he refused to listen to me." Luffy drifted farther into his sea of memories, recalling memories of a time that never happened.

"_Ah, excuse me… may I see your panties?"_

"_YOHOHOHOHO!! SKULL JOKE!!!"_

"_Luffy-san… I'm glad to be alive!!"_

"_Keep going, Luffy-san!! These marines won't get past me!! You must reach the center of Raftel, for all of us!! They'll have to step over my corpse to get to you! Ah, but I'm already a corpse! YOHOHOHOHO!!!"_

'No… no…' Luffy shook his head, clearing the shroud. 'That never happened… that never WILL happen… not as long as I'm around… not as long as I can do something… I won't let any of them get hurt this time…'

"That was the first night Laboon faced Reverse Mountain and bellowed. He began battering himself against the rocks of the red line the same time." Crocus continued on, unaware of Luffy's inner turmoil. "He still believes that they'll return from the other side of that wall… he just won't listen to the truth."

"What a whale…" Sanji murmured.

"He keeps going even when there's no point…" Alvida added, feeling rather sympathetic to the giant beast.

"If there was no point, he would have listened to me all those years ago." Said crocus. "More than anything, he is afraid of losing his reason to wait. His home is in west blue. And yet, there's no way home for him now. All he ever wanted was to continue being nakama with the people that he followed here."

"y'know…" Sanji began, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "He may be in this pitiful state… but you were betrayed too, right? This isn't really your problem anymore, is it?"

"Just look at the scars on his head!" crocus exclaimed. "If he keeps ramming his head against the rocks like that, without a doubt, he will die! We two may have a strange relationship together, but we've spent fifty years together. I'm not about to watch him kill himself!" Luffy cracked his neck, and charged.

"OOOOAOAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" he roared as he pulled a massive amount of water from the sea, solidifying it and grasping it in his hand as he raced up Laboon's side. He could just barely hear his crew's shouts of incredulity about his latest stunt, but frankly, this was how it had to be. Since he couldn't very well drop hints about Brook with his crew around, this was the next best plan. He immediately spotted the newest spurting wound, and raced towards it. "Mizu Mizu NO…!" he raised the pillar up… "SPIKE!!!" …and jammed straight into Laboon's head.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?!?!?" oh. That one he COULD hear.

Laboon's body began to tremble.

His eyes began to water.

His mouth began to roar.

"GRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" the mighty whale roared furiously as he shook rapidly, trying to dislodge the offending item. Luffy merely held on for dear life. When that failed, the whale leaped high into the air and slammed himself into the peninsula, smashing Luffy to pieces.

"HEY, BOY!!!!!" crocus shouted.

"It's okay!!" Nami yelled back. "He won't die even if he gets crushed!"

Laboon, however, was furious. The attempt to dislodge the spike only drove it in deeper. The wound was now spurting blood freely, flaking the whale with blood specks. Luffy reformed himself and dusted his vest off. "Heh. Idiot." Laboon zoomed at Luffy, smashing him to bits once again. The captain merely reformed and punched Laboon in the eye. That made the whale even angrier, as it slapped at him with its tail. Luffy punted it back a few meters, and retaliated by smashing him into the lighthouse. Amazingly, the structure held. Laboon backed up for a charge, as Luffy grinned. Just as Laboon came close enough for contact…

"It's a tie!!" Luffy exclaimed. Laboon halted, confused. Luffy stood and brushed away some dirt flecking his clothes. "Pretty strong, ain't I? Not anybody can fight a massive thing like you!" suddenly, Luffy wondered if this was sort of his dress rehearsal for that business with Oz. 'hmmm… that bears closer thought.' He refocused on the whale. "I hurt you pretty good, didn't I? You wanna kick my ass for that, don't you?" Laboon remained still.

"I don't have time for the kind of battle that we'd have right now. But this isn't over! We'll have our rematch again someday. Your friends may be dead, but from now on, I'm your rival! We'll fight again someday, to see who is the strongest of the two of us!!" Luffy cracked his knuckles. He glanced over to see that the majority of his crew wasn't even trying to hide their grins. "Someday we'll return from the grand line, and I'll be there! And then we finish our fight!!" Laboon's eyes teared up. Crocus smiled gently as Laboon threw back his head and crooned.

* * *

"And… there!!" Luffy dropped his hands and grinned, the globs of paint falling back into the paint cans. The perfect symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates (amazing what art he could do when he didn't need to use a brush!) was plastered onto Laboon's forehead. "That's the symbol of our promise to fight! So, until I get back, you can't ram your head over and over and rub that off, or I won't have a rematch with you!" Laboon let out a short blast of air Luffy took to mean an agreement.

"Hey… Luffy?" gold roger began. Luffy whirled around to shush the pirate king.

"SHHH!! Be quiet! There are others around, what if they hear you!?"

"It's okay; I made sure everybody was elsewhere." Luffy slowly relaxed.

"Okay… but don't reform, I don't know how I'd explain that one."

"I may ACT dumb, but I'm not that stupid." Roger retorted. Luffy had to try very hard not to shoot back a sarcastic comment. "So, Luffy… I've been wondering this since we got out… why is it that we can't understand Laboon?" Luffy blinked.

"Huh?"

"Think about it! Laboon has made all of those noises and stuff, but we haven't heard a coherent word out of him! I'm just wondering, 'cause it's kinda weird…" Luffy mouth formed an 'o' of surprise.

"You… you're right, roger. I haven't understood Laboon this whole time. I wonder why…?" Luffy glanced up at the massive scars, and the proverbial light bulb went off. "Oh, boy… roger, I think I figured it out."

"That fast?"

"Unlike some people, I occasionally use my brain."

"I highly doubt that."

"Oh, suck my dick, roger."

"Is that your response to everything these days? The big boy finally discovered gay sex and insults everybody with it?"

"… Moving right along! I think I figured out why we can't understand Laboon. Look at his scars." Roger glanced up.

"Yes, the whale has big scars. What else is new?"

"No, seriously! Look at some of them! They're massive!"

"I realize that. Laboon is a very emo whale."

"No, not that! Look, in order to get scars that big, you'd need wounds that were even bigger, right?" roger blinked and looked back up again, and whistled.

"Whoo. Damn, you're right. Those would be some damn massive gashes."

"Right! And all of these massive wounds are on what would be equivalent to his head! That's some massive head trauma, right?" roger's eyebrow's shot up.

"Wait… are you suggesting that all his bashing against the red line made him retarded?"

"If you want to be crass about it. I mean, he can still understand human speech perfectly fine, but he can't speak himself. I'm thinking that in the process of trying to do the impossible and destroy the red line, he damaged his speech center in his brain. Crocus did say that he started doing this a few years after they dropped him off, and when he showed up he was little more than a baby, right?" roger's eyes shot open, and began to massage his temples.

"Oh, fuck me sideways and call me a daisy… you're telling me that Laboon could have damaged his brain _while it was still developing_?"

"It's a good possibility." Luffy shrugged. "It would also explain his extreme fixation on Brook and his friends, while staying here at the twin capes. He honestly can't muster enough thinking power to try and think of a different solution, like trying to swim out through the calm belt to find them. I mean, he's probably bigger than some of the sea kings that nest there, he could easily defeat them. He's just physically incapable of coming up with that idea."

"Damn… that's not really something we could fix. I'm not a doctor, and I certainly don't know animal anatomy enough to try and do brain surgery to fix his retardation. So, the whale is pretty much stuck like this?" Luffy grimaced.

"I don't like contemplating it, since Laboon was nakama, but there's not really anything that we can do that wouldn't already make things worse. Our way of healing would already probably send quite a few doctors into apoplectic fits. So, Laboon is stuck… like… this…" Luffy tapped his chin. "But…! But but but! I bet chopper could do something about it!"

"Chopper? You're serious?"

"No, think about it! Chopper was a reindeer before, so he makes it part of his practice to know animal structure as well as human, as homage to his roots! And by the time we got to Raftel, chopper could practically cure all but cancer and the common cold! He could probably come back with Brook and help Laboon!"

"… I'd think you were absolutely batshit insane if I didn't think that it just might work." Luffy walked over to where he spotted the dropped log pose of Mr. 9.

"It has to work! Chopper's the best damn doctor in the world!" he quickly pocketed the log pose before anybody could notice. In the distance, a muted explosion and a cloud of smoke drifted up from the sea. "Eh? What just happened there?"

"I dunno… but I'm sensing four major life-forms over there, two human and two not. The two animals are flying away."

"Oh. Well, that'd probably be the Unluckies bombing Vivi and the crown-guy. I didn't know that happened before."

"Well, it was kinda far away, so maybe nobody noticed it before." Luffy shuffled through the crowd of pirate mooks from the other ships enjoying time on land, absently giving high fives and accepting praise for fighting Laboon to a draw. "Man, you'd never realize how tiring it is to deal with that kind of numbers wanting your attention until you've lived it." The raven-haired boy sighed as soon as they were out of the crowd. Gold roger grinned.

"Well, I should hope you've gotten used to it by now. You were a king of far more than four ship's worth of pirates for over two years." Luffy smirked.

"Well, yeah, there is that. Guess I really don't have a right to complain."

'no. you don't." and with that final statement, gold roger fell silent. Just in time, it seemed, for not a second later, Nami screamed. "Sounds like a D.I.D! Go get 'em, tiger!" roger crowed. Luffy ignored him and was immediately at the table where she was sitting.

"What's wrong!?" he shouted.

"Nami-swaaan! What is it? If it's food you want, never fe-"

"Can it, Sanji, adults are talking right now!" Luffy snapped. Gold roger snickered as Sanji stood, balancing on one foot and loaded with three massive plates of blue elephant tuna, gob-smacked. Zoro guffawed from his resting place on the going merry.

"HAHAHA!! I gotta remember that one! That shut the ero-cook up fast!" Luffy ignored both of them and turned back to Nami.

"So, miss navigator, what's the problem?"

"The compass is broken!!" Nami exclaimed. "It won't point in a single direction!" Luffy blinked, before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Hoo, boy… you honestly didn't know about this before coming with us? Talk about stupid." Nami swung at Luffy's head. The fist merely phased straight through.

"Oh yeah, Mr. Know-it-all!? Then why don't you tell me what's going on!?" she yelled. Luffy winced.

"Geez, no need to shout! It's simple, really. Regular compasses don't work on the Grand Line. There's too much magnetic interference!" Nami drew back, her ire at being insulted gone.

"What? Magnetic interference?" Luffy nodded as crocus walked up, watching them talk.

"Yeah! The islands here each have their own magnetic field! You can imagine how much that screws regular compasses up, which normally focus on only one field: the North Pole! Add in the storms, the currents, and weather, all of these can change within seconds on the Grand Line! The Grand Line follows it's own rules, and you've gotta play by them, or you die." Nami turned pale.

"But, but! How are we supposed to navigate then!? If we can't find our own direction…!" Luffy pulled out his recently pilfered treasure.

"This little baby right here! It's called a Log Pose."

"Log Pose?" Nami repeated.

"It's a special kind of compass made special for the Grand Line. It tracks the magnetic fields of the Grand Line islands. When it settles on one island for a set amount of time, it readjusts to the next island and points in that direction instead, turning the entire sea into one big connect-the-dots." Crocus chuckled.

"An interesting analogy, but an accurate one. How do you know all this? You talk like you've been here before." Luffy grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, well… there was this pirate that stayed at my village for a long time, and he taught me a lot of stuff. He was the one who gave me this hat, too!" Nami nodded.

"Alright… but, Luffy…" she swung at Luffy again. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US YOU HAD THAT!!??!?" Luffy reformed his head.

"Geez, Nami, you're real mean today! Is it that time of the month or something?" another punch to the torso. Luffy only barely managed to move the log pose out of the way. "Yeah. Definitely that time."

"You no-good rubber bastard!!" Sanji growled, having angrily slammed the fish to the table. "How dare to talk to Nami-san like THAT!!!" he punctuated his words with a punt to the face. Luffy didn't even feel the hit. He did, however, hear the sharp crack of glass. His eyes widened.

"Sanji, if you just did, what I think you just did…" he lowered his hand, to see the log pose in pieces. "Sanji, you utter bastard…" the cook looked at the broken orb with confusion, before grinning sheepishly to a rapidly reddening Nami.

"Ah… oops?" he was sent flying by the combined forces of captain and navigator.

"GO SOAK YOUR HEAD!!!!" they shouted as one. Sanji went screaming into the sea. Luffy pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "God, that guy needs to learn to think with his head instead of his dick all the time. I'm starting to wonder how I put up with him."

"He's devoted to girls, I get that, but this is ridiculous!" Nami agreed. "He's going to get us in trouble one day for that…" the two looked at each other, before grinning. "Hehe. Guess that helped me vent."

"I have to say, a happy Nami is much better than an angry Nami." Luffy grinned back. Nami almost blushed at that, but then realized he probably didn't mean it the way her mind was taking it. She looked up as with a splash of water, Laboon pushed up three waterlogged bodies to the shore. Luffy nodded.

"Looks like the two whalers tried to make a break for it. Let's go have a chat with them. Nami, you try and wheedle out another log pose from crocus. He said he used to be a pirate, so he has to have one lying about somewhere." Nami nodded and ran off to the lighthouse keeper. As Luffy came into hearing range of the three, Sanji was already hitting on Vivi.

"Allow me, my dear." Sanji held out a hand to the grounded Vivi.

"Why, thank you." she pulled herself up and began walking side-by-side with Sanji.

"Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" Mr. 9 pulled himself up off the rocks.

"Oi!" he spoke. "I have a request." Sanji glanced back, feeling much less charitable to the male half of the team. Luffy grinned.

"Is that so?"

* * *

"Whiskey peak?" gin repeated, grinning despite himself. "Nice name. I like it… Gin, in Whiskey peak… heheh, if that doesn't beat all…"

"What is it?" Luffy asked, knowing full well what it was.

"It's the town we live in… uh, sir." Mr. 9 said as he knelt before the captain.

"Don't you have a ship of your own? You're asking a bit much from strangers." Alvida stated, twirling her mace.

"Sadly, it was destroyed."

"Like the bitch said, don't you think you're asking a bit much kindness from us? After all, you DID try to kill the whale." Nami leered, getting in close to the fake king.

"Just who are you guys?" Usopp asked.

"I am a king!" Mr. 9 declared proudly. Nami pulled on his cheek.

"Liar."

"We cannot say!" Vivi declared, throwing herself to her knees.

"But all we want is to return to our town!" Mr. 9 agreed, also kneeling again. "We didn't really want to do this kind of underhanded work…"

"But please understand, secrecy is our organization's motto! We truly cannot tell you anything more than what we already have!" Vivi finished. "We are begging you kind people to help us! We will surely repay your kindness!"

"Don't listen to them." Crocus interjected. "No matter what they say, they're a couple of underhanded sleazebags." Luffy held up a hand to quiet the old man.

"Don't you think you're not the best one to be a judge of the scene?" Luffy asked. Crocus remained silent. "Now, you two… I will say this right now: the log pose that we took from you is broken, thanks to a horn dog cook of ours."

"WHAT!?!?" they screamed. "YOU BROKE IT!? THAT WAS MINE, YOU KNOW!!!"

"YOU MADE US THROW OURSELVES AT YOUR FEET WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN GO ANYWHERE!?!?" Vivi screeched. Luffy held up a hand.

"I only said that YOUR log pose is broken. Crocus is giving us another to replace it." The two were groveling and mumbling words of praise in seconds. Luffy strolled up to them. "You two are in a VERY shaky position right now. You're throwing yourselves at our mercy, the mercy of PIRATES, with no bargaining chip, and a history of already pissing us off once by trying to kill Laboon." The two winced. Luffy leaned down into their faces. "A would-be king… and a blue haired girl, who carries herself like a princess…" Vivi stiffened. "Yes… you interest me, girl… what was your name… Miss Wednesday? I wonder about that, Miss Princess." Vivi was trembling in place, fear striking a cold arrow through her heart. Luffy leaned up. "Zoro. Make room on the going merry for two extra passengers. We will go to this 'whiskey peak'."

"Are you sure, Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Positive. But…" Luffy leaned down again to the two. "Just in case you forgot… I am in command of four – count 'em, four – separate pirate ships, all full to the brim of bloodthirsty pirates that answer completely to my beck and call. If you try and betray me… I'd like to see you two make it out in one piece. Are we clear?" the two gulped.

"Y-yes, s-sir!" Mr. 9 stuttered. Luffy grinned and pulled up.

"Alright then! MEN!!" the pirates looked up. "Finish your business on land! We set sail in ten minutes!!"

"CAPTAIN!!" they all answered back, suddenly pulled into a flurry of activity.

"They really do answer to you… all those powerful pirates, listening to your command…" Vivi breathed. "Who are you…?" Luffy grinned.

"What, me? I'm strong, is what I am." He flicked his hat. "The man who's going to be the pirate king generally has to be!" before, Luffy remembered them snickering at his declaration. Now, they just stared at him with a kind of dumbstruck awe.

"And so, we have two unknowns to factor into my plans…" Kuro murmured, scribbling incomprehensible noted onto a sheet of paper. "I do wish the captain would stop doing this…"

"KAW! KAW!!" a loud bird called out. Crocus glanced up.

"Oh? A Carrier Bird?" he asked, intrigued. "That's a surprise. I haven't seen any of those for ages…" a large bird swirled down to the cape, landing in front of crocus.

"CAW! CAW CAW!!" it cried, pushing forward a large bundle it was carrying. Crocus picked it up, hearing the loud jingle of metal. He flipped open the tag, and held it out.

"A package for a 'Kuro of the Thousand Plans'!" Kuro jerked his head up, slightly shocked.

"What? Me?" he pushed himself up and quickly walked over to the old man. "Why is there a carrier bird for me?"

"I don't know, but it's rather unusual in any case. Carrier birds are only used for custom orders, and those haven't been done in ages." Crocus rattled the package. "And from the sounds of it, it seems to be multiple blades." Kuro's eyebrows arched.

"Really…?" he took the package and tore it open. There, lying before him, were a set of Cat Claws.

"Incredible…" Kuro breathed. "He actually did it…" the fur was a deep crimson, almost to the point of turning brown. The blades themselves were easily three and a half feet long, much longer than his original pair, almost to the point of being obscenely unusable, with dark flames stained into the steel. Kuro turned the Cat Claw over to notice the Koban symbol branded into the paw of the glove. Kuro placed the blades under shadow, intrigued, as each of the blades lit up with faintly glowing good-luck symbols racing all along the blades in place of the flames.

"You're not going by halves making sure this blade is lucky, old man…" Kuro murmured, as he picked up the note at the bottom of the package.

_Thank you for inspiring me. The set's name is Manakineko. I had them appraised, and they told me they would enter it as the twenty-second Fine Blade. Use my final creation well._

Kuro placed the card back in the package, slipping the two gloves on.

"Manakineko… Fortune Cat…" he murmured. He whirled around and slashed at the picnic table. The timbers spilt into five even pieces without a sound. Kuro looked approvingly at the weapon. "The twenty-second fine blade… an impressive gift, to earn for free… thank you, old man…"

* * *

"Everything's ready." Crocus stated. "Have you got the log pose oriented with the map?" Nami nodded.

"Yeah. It's pointing towards whiskey peak." Crocus nodded as she stepped aboard. Luffy walked over to the elderly doctor.

"Crocus. If I may speak my mind?" crocus nodded. "I don't believe that the crew abandoned Laboon." Crocus sighed.

"If that's what you want to believe…"

"Wasn't there a bout of plague going around about fifty years ago?" Luffy asked. "One that, once you caught it, was nigh incurable?" crocus stiffened.

"My god… you're right… it was further on in the grand line, so I didn't have to treat any patients with it, but… if they were in that area…"

"If somebody on their crew caught the plague, they'd try and get them away from the crewmembers that are still sickness free." Luffy continued. "Like, sailing a boat through the calm belt, in the hopes that they survive. The illness-free ones could then continue on in the quest." Crocus was flabbergasted, until he remembered.

"But, if that was the case, then why haven't they returned yet?"

"If they were far enough in the grand line to catch the plague, then they'd also probably be in the area of the Florian triangle." Crocus gasped.

"The Florian triangle…!"

"Exactly. I don't think they abandoned Laboon. I think they can't find their way back to Laboon." Luffy began twirling his hat on his finger. "When I get up into that area, I'll test my theory and search the Florian triangle for them. Until then, make sure that Laboon stays alive." Crocus nodded, still struck dumb.

"y-yes…" he murmured. Luffy grinned and, in a single leap, was back on board the going merry.

"SET SAIL!!!" he roared, and with a replying cheer from the armada, the four ships began to sail out of the cape. "FULL SPEED AHEAD!!!" crocus stared at the retreating back of the captain of the straw hat armada as Laboon let out a parting roar.

"They might just be the pirates that we've been looking for… he had a mysterious air about him, just like you did… we'll see that man rock the foundations of the world, in time. Don't you think so… roger?" unknown to crocus, a small boat, almost too small for practical use on the grand line, sailed down reverse mountain.

"So… Monkey D. Luffy is headed into the hornet's nest willingly… one's interest in you continually grows… yes, it does…"

* * *

And, chapter twenty eight is done!

I have never felt so much joy in my history as a One Piece fan as I have when I finished reading the latest chapter. It's like 576 was MADE to confirm The Will of D. excuse me while I go Fangasm for the 9001st time.

So, I've got this poll going on my profile. It's about what romantic pairings of my next story are going to be. I plan to shape what it is around the winning choice, I.E. if it's a one-shot or multi-chapter, or what-have-you. Vote please, if you want to!

Five reviews gets me to start working on the next chapter, ten reviews gets my ass in high gear!!

Review. You know you want to.

EDIT: HAHA, DISREGARD THAT, I SUCK COCKS! Turns out that I'm NOT the highest reviewed, or wordiest! Those honors belong to RUMBLE! And Destiny's Son, A Great Tale Of Adventure! respectively. I based that claim off of what the LuNa forums told me, which one of my reviewers wisely called bullshit on. Dammit, Moonlight! You lied to me!! On the other hand, a plateful of chocolate chip cookies to Aozacki for catching my error!


	30. Whiskey Peak Blues

Hey, everybody! I'm back! Sorry about the long wait, but there was a lot of bad shit happening in my life that needed to be worked out. I made this chapter extra-long (I think it's actually the longest yet!) to make up for it! Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and in case some of you didn't read the edits that I did to the last chapter, I'd like to say that I am NOT the highest reviewed, nor the wordiest, story in the one piece community. Those honors belong to some yaoi story and Destiny's Saga, A Great Tale of Adventure! (or something like that, I can't remember the exact title), respectively. Apparently, the people who told me the information I was basing that claim on were actually talking about me being the highest in the LuNa community, which isn't nearly as impressive. Thanks, Aozacki, for catching my cock-up! (Hands Aozacki a cookie)

…

Disclaimer: don't own.

…

"How the hell can it be snowing…!" Nami shivered as she stared out the window at the snowy landscape. "It was nice and sunny just a minute ago…!"

"Aaahh… fuck…! I'm freezing!" Luffy swore as he shivered even more violently, bundled up in so many blankets Nami could barely tell there was a person inside. "I feel like I'm freezing from the inside out…! And I used to love playing in snow, too…! Dammit, this pisses me off…!" Nami supposed she had no right to complain. After all, Luffy was having an even rougher time of the moody weather, what with him being made of easily-frozen water and everything. The captain got up and hobbled over to the window, breath frosting the glass. He grinned as he saw Usopp, gin and Arlong engaged in a snow-crafting contest. "Hey… is it just me, or does Usopp's 'snow queen'… look suspiciously like a… certain childhood friend?" Nami smiled.

"Looks like our sharpshooter has a sweetheart in the making back home!" Luffy giggled, shivering.

"Arlong's making… hah! He's making… a giant beri sign! Figures…! And I can't… even tell what gin is making… looks sorta like… a person put through… a meat grinder…!" Nami giggled.

"Some people have talent, and some just don't…!" Luffy grinned.

"Ha! Gin got pissed… and had his guy… destroy Usopp's sculpture…! Now everything's destroyed… and now Arlong's pissed…!" Luffy chuckled as the fishman chased the two laughing crewmates around the boat, a forehead vein throbbing. "Ya know… I never would have thought… that fishmen would do well… in cold weather…! I would've thought… they'd be more susceptible to it…!" Nami pursed her lips, not exactly pleased with the turn of the conversation.

"I suppose it has to do with fishmen and mermen having adapted to life on the bottom of the sea… I have to assume that combined with the temperature and the pressure under the sea, it's far colder down there than any cold weather up here…" Luffy frowned.

"If that's true…! Then why am I… so damn freezing! It was… nice and warm… on the seabed… compared to this…!" Sanji and Alvida were up on the deck, shoveling snow away. The cook looked up, hearts in his eyes.

"Nami-san! How long shall I continue my shoveling of love?"

"Until it stops snowing, Sanji-kun!" the navigator answered back from inside the cabin.

"Yes, Nami-san!" the cook crowed. Alvida scoffed.

"Ridiculous…! Why do I have to be stuck doing the manual labor…!"

"Quit your whining, you slip-'n-slide slut!" Nami shouted. "The cold air and snow slips right off you, so you get to do the cold work!"

"Crazy tangerine bitch…!" Alvida hissed as she went back to shoveling.

"Oi. You." Mr. 9 spoke up. "Doesn't this ship have any heating?"

"I'm cold." Was all Vivi said. Kuro pushed up his glasses as he scribbled various symbols comprehensible only to him into his journal.

"Yes, there will be many more winter islands in our passage through the grand line, so that will have to be our next addition…" he murmured to himself, though he spoke loudly enough for everybody to hear. "and it's embarrassing for the command ship to not have what the rest of the fleet does have… if we raid X amount of towns, or find Y amount of hidden treasure, or maybe do Z amount of raiding and treasure-hunting combined, we could just have enough for…" and then he trailed off, writing furiously and muttering to himself. Nami was actually pretty glad to have delegated quartermaster duties to the former pirate captain. He was far more brilliant than her, she admitted that, and he was almost as stingy with money as she was. It took a while to start trusting him, but he'd proven himself enough to where he could be considered nakama.

"You figure out how long it'll take to get heating, Kuro. God knows we'll need it eventually, if only for Luffy's sake." She whirled on the two freeloaders. "AND YOU TWO, SHUT YOUR TRAPS! You aren't our guests, so get out there and start shoveling!" Kuro looked up from his calculations.

"Ah, Nami-san. According to my calculations, in approximately five seconds the weather will switch to…"

BOOM! The crack of thunder.

"…a thunderstorm, piled on top of the snowstorm." He finished lamely. Luffy shuddered and collapsed into his seat at the table.

"ACHOOO! God dammit, all of this screwed-up weather is… playing havoc with my body…!" he looked up at Nami suddenly. "Aahhh….! Nami, check…! The heading! How long ago did… you check the log pose…!" Nami blinked.

"I just checked it a few minutes ago…" she stated as she glanced down at the needle. Her eyes shot open, and she screamed. Loudly. She rushed out onto the deck, shouting. The door swung shut as she did, though, so Luffy couldn't hear what she was saying. Vivi and Mr. 9 glanced at the captain.

"Rather embarrassing for a big, bad leader of a fleet to be bundled up this tight, isn't it?" asked Vivi. Luffy sneezed in reply.

"ACHOO! Gah… I have a… perfectly legitimate reason… for this…! If I wasn't… looking like the inside… of a closet… right now, I'd probably… be a frozen Popsicle within minutes…!" Mr. 9 arched an eyebrow.

"That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" he asked. Luffy shook his head. Kuro nodded along with his captain.

"Luffy is… shall we say, somewhat weak against cold weather. His devil fruit powers do not exactly agree with below-zero temperatures. Though…" he tapped his chin. "Luffy, couldn't your powers let you manipulate snow, as well? Being made of what it is…" Luffy blinked, before he grinned shakily.

"Heheh…! I bet I could…! It'd be hard to… manipulate, since it's frozen… and I'd probably freeze… inside out before long… but I bet… I could do that…! Thanks for the- ACHOO! The idea, Kuro…!" Kuro nodded. Luffy glanced out the window, feeling the ship shift underneath them. "I'll bet beri… to baguettes that Nami… will need help…! The weather for… the first leg of the grand line… is incredibly shifty…! You two, get out there… and earn your keep! Kuro, you go with them… feel free to kick… Zoro awake as well…!" Kuro nodded, before grabbing the two passengers by the scruffs of their necks and dragging them kicking and screaming out into the cold weather.

Luffy sneezed loudly, before sniffing up the snot. "Agh…! Dammit, I need more Kleenex…! Roger, you never told me… that cold weather would… do this to me…!" roger was silent. "Roger…? Roger, where are you… you big lug…!" the pirate king remained silent. With a push of power, Luffy forcibly caused roger to appear. The pirate king appeared, completely incased in ice, frozen in a pose of extreme chill. Luffy laughed. "Shishishishi…! Looks like it goes… for guys made completely… of water, instead of… part water, part rubber…! Shishishishishi…!"

Luffy felt the temperature rise slightly in the cabin, so he shuffled over to the window, before grinning. "Hehehe! The first signs of spring…!" outside, the ship was alive with a flurry of activity, all to prevent the ship from getting destroyed. Luffy extended his senses, and found that the other ships were doing a far sight better than the going merry was in this respect. "Probably because they have a lot more people to help in that respect…!" Luffy looked over and saw that roger was beginning to thaw, and he grinned. "Having fun there, roger?"

"Fck uu…" roger mumbled, as his mouth was still encased in a solid sheet of ice. Luffy reached out and pried that bit of ice off. "Thanks… god, I already knew that we wouldn't do well on winter islands from my personal experiences, but for it to affect me so much faster than before…!" Luffy grinned.

"Yeah, you were a human popsicle within minutes!"

"Yes… suffice to say, it looks like being alive and not just a construct of water is what'll keep you from going my route. I think that if I'm that much more susceptible to the nuances of water, then I'm going to be pretty much useless if we land on any winter islands. I might as well hang out on one off the ships with heaters if that happens." Luffy nodded, before frowning.

"Hmm… if that's the case, then you wouldn't be able to survive once we land on Alabasta, either…" roger frowned.

"Hmmm… that WOULD be a problem. I don't think deserts would agree with me too well. Will that be a problem?" Luffy shook his head.

"Nah, I don't think so. I would've appreciated the company, and I can always use help when I'm fighting a Shichibukai… but then again, it's crocodile, so I'm already at an advantage. I think I'll be fine." Roger nodded.

"Yeah. Speaking of needing help, there's an iceberg coming up. I think it'll be scraping the hull if you don't do something." Luffy jerked around and stared out the window.

"Shit, you're right!" Luffy waved his hands about, creating massive waves that pushed the iceberg out of the way. Zoro looked up from his adjusting of various ropes and sails to nod in Luffy's direction. Luffy nodded back, before spraying snot all over the window. "ACHOO! Agh…! Dammit… I used to never get colds… hell, I used to never get flat-out COLD… and now this…! God dammit…!" roger laughed, a slight shudder in his voice.

"Yeah… look at us, some of the most powerful men on the sea, shivering like babes in the woods. Some kings we are, eh…?" the two laughed to themselves as the ship rocked wildly in the winds. "Hey… there's a big storm coming in…" Luffy wiped away the cloud of snot fogging the mirror and frowned.

"Yeah… that's bad. That looks real bad. Roger, nip over to the over ships in the fleet and make sure they don't capsize in this squall. I'll handle the merry." Roger saluted.

"Sure. Be right back." And he was gone. With a wave of his hand, a Luffy-clone was scampering up the ratlines to the sails, rapidly taking them in before they tore from the winds. With grateful looks on their faces, the crew waved as one to Luffy's position, with Mr. 9 and Vivi wondering why they were waving to an empty cabin. Luffy leaned back and watched out the window as the skies darkened.

"And into the darkness we plunge…" he murmured, tickling the air like a puppet-master, with his clone dancing on its strings. He absently began singing under his breath as the world outside grew darker. "Yohohoho… yohohohoooo… yohohoho… yohohohoooooo…"

And then, the world exploded.

Luffy was thrown bodily across the room as the boom exploded in his ears and whiteness in his eyes. "GAAAAAH!" he screamed. Ryuuji screeched wordlessly, thrown roughly from his nest, rudely awakened from his day-long nap. "wh-what the hell…!" he shouted. The ship rocked back to its regular position, none the worse for wear from its near-fatal strike. "L-lightning…!" he muttered, drawing his hand away from his head. His eyes widened as the fingers came back bloody. "What…! I'm… I'm hurt…! H…how…!" he stumbled out onto the deck, where everybody was scrambling frantically to get out of the storm. Luffy absently banished his clone. He didn't want THAT little tidbit out just yet to his passengers. "What happened!"

"Lightning! Damn near hit us, too!" Arlong shouted, rushing under the deck with boards and nails in his webbed hands.

"It was just a few yards away from us! And it's still scorched a leak under the deck!" Usopp finished as he rushed after the fishman, also clad in carpentry tools. Luffy's eyes widened.

"A few yards…!" he breathed. He whipped his head up, glancing around. 'That was no ordinary lightning, if it was able to cause me to be wounded…! Another god! Zeus!' if there was a divine being trying to strike him down, then there was no time to pull his punches. With a rush, he extended his senses as far as they would go, all the way up to the bottom of the clouds. He stood there, and waited…

'AGAIN!' he roared, as he felt the guideline trail of electricity that always preceded a strike pierce through the bubble. With a rush of both hands, the captain of the straw hat pirates whipped up a shield of water directly over the Going merry, just in time for the lightning to slam right into it. Luffy felt the explosion from where he was, and he felt the massive pain from the feedback of stopping the thunderbolt, but the ship was intact.

That, however, only seemed to anger his godly aggressor. With an angry boom, the bolts near tripled. Luffy let out a low gasp as he frantically threw up barrier after barrier. But even with his best efforts, ever so slowly, the attacks grew closer to the ship. Luffy was panting from the exertion by the time the bolts were inches from the mast.

"Luffy! What's going on!" Nami screamed.

"Can't… talk…!" Luffy panted. 'Why can't I stop them! I'm in the middle of a downpour! I should be at my peak! So why am I growing weaker…!' another guideline shot down, but Luffy was not quick enough. "NO…!" he screamed as the bolt shot down…

And then suddenly, the seas raged. With a massive roar, a tidal wave rose up from beneath them and carried them away. The thunderbolt struck mere feet away from the deck, but they were safe. The tidal wave carried them all the way out of the storm, before gently depositing them back down onto the sea. Luffy dropped to the deck, completely drained of energy.

'That wave… I… thank you, Poseidon…' Luffy mumbled through the cloud on his brain.

'**It was a pleasure.' **The sea god answered back. Luffy was too tired to even be surprised at the mental intrusion. '**It seems as though things have spiraled out of control. Once you have the chance, go underneath the sea, and I will meet you there. We need to talk.'**

'Yes, sir…' Luffy thought as the presence faded away. Luffy was barely able to check that the tidal wave carried the rest of the fleet out before sleep caught him in its embrace. Zoro breathed out once and picked Luffy up, slinging him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"You two should thank Luffy, when he wakes up." Zoro said to the two passengers. "He just saved all our lives." And with that, he carried Luffy into the captain's quarters, for a well-deserved rest.

…..

"Yuuuurgh…" Luffy groaned, twisting about on his bed. "Guaaaah… I ache all over…"

"I would think so, given all that you went through." Said roger.

"You DID try to stop nearly three-dozen thunderbolts in the space of five minutes." Added Zoro. With a scream of pain from his muscles, Luffy pushed himself into a sitting position. Zoro and roger were sitting across the room, side by side.

"Ugh… where are we?" Luffy asked, wincing as he gently massaged his biceps.

"We've about five minutes away from whiskey peak. We found a river mouth leading into the island, so Nami is piloting the fleet towards it. Those two jumped ship just a moment ago." Zoro stood, pacing back and forth. "Luffy… what happened back there? What was with all the lightning? I'm positive there's no natural way for that many bolts to try and hit us…"

"You'd be right." Roger answered. "That was no natural occurrence. A god named Zeus was behind it." Zoro groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

"Great. We've got an actual god against us. Just great."

"It's not all bad, though." Luffy grinned weakly. He was starting to get feeling back in his arms, so he reached to the nightstand and picked up his hat. "Poseidon was able to save us with the tidal wave right at the end."

"Poseidon?"

"God of the sea. He's a friend, and the son of Kronos. Of course, Zeus is also his son, so I guess that doesn't really mean much…" roger stood. "At any rate, we should be extremely grateful for his assistance. This isn't the first time that he's helped us, either, so be doubly thankful. He helped us get away back at loguetown."

"That was him? The one with all the clones from the rain, the ones with the tridents?"

"Yes. That was Poseidon."

"Wow…" Zoro breathed. "I've actually seen a god in the flesh… and here I thought I was atheist…" Luffy grinned weakly as he shakily got out of bed. "Hey. You sure you're alright with that? You did take a pretty big pounding…"

"I'll be fine…" Luffy grinned as he legs nearly gave out on him. While trying to regain his equilibrium, he noticed baby Ryuuji had made a nest under his bed, sleeping quietly once more. 'Hmm… he's been like that since we picked him up, just sleeping more and more. I should check on him when I get the chance…' "A little exercise and a lotta meat, and I'll be right as rain!" he flipped his hat onto his head. "Besides, we're heading into town in a bit, and this is one place you don't want to show weakness in."

"Oh?" Zoro arched an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because the town of whiskey peak is completely made up of bounty hunters." Zoro's other eyebrow joined the first.

"Really…!" Zoro grinned. "Now that's interesting…! Gives me an interesting idea about who those two were…!"

"I'm fairly certain what you suspect is what I already know."

"Baroque Works?"

"Right in one."

"Heh…!" Zoro's grin grew wider. "I like it. Bet we'll have to fight our way out of the town by the time we're done."

"Totally." Luffy's grin matched Zoro's. "Alright, now help me out to the deck, I'm gonna send some runners to the rest of the fleet."

"What're you going to say?" Zoro asked as he flung Luffy's arm over his shoulder and helped him limp out to the deck. Roger merely grinned roguishly and dissolved into nothing.

"To have them break out the stores and land with us. They're going to have a feast prepared for us, to try and lull us into a sense of complacency. I figure, why keep the little people on the rest of the ships away from the fun?"

"But you just said they were all bounty hunters."

"True… true… I suppose they'd have to get back on their ships by nightfall. I could say they deserve everything they get if they fail to follow those orders, and let their overactive imaginations fill in the holes." Luffy waved his hand, and three water clones burst into existence. Without a stop, they leaped off the ship and raced off towards the rest of the fleet. Within minutes, the captain could see the ships were bringing out stores of food through the fog of the island. "Oh, and by the way, Zoro… when they turn on us… don't kill any of the named agents."

"Oh? Why not?" asked the swordsman.

"Because there are a few people in there that will become our nakama, given half the chance. The enemy of mine enemy is my friend, right? That, and I'm averse to needless killing, understand?" Zoro nodded.

"Aye, captain. I get it."

"Good. Then let the celebration begin." Luffy grinned. "Heh… this'll be some feast."

"WELCOME~~!" the islanders cheered as the four ships plowed into the harbor. "Welcome to our town!" "The town of celebration, Whiskey Peak!" Luffy smirked.

'And bounty hunters, too…'

…

"Welco-GRUUHAAAGH! Ma~ma~maaa! WELCOME!" Igaram, or Mr. 8, sang. "My name is Igarrapoi! I am the mayor of whiskey Peak!" Luffy smirked and leaped down onto the ground, completely forgoing the ladder.

"I'm Luffy. Commander of this pirate fleet." Igaram smiled.

"I must admit, I find it curious that you have multiple ships under your command." Luffy grinned as the rest of the fleet climbed down onto land.

"Well, what can I say? I've got that kinda aura, ya know?"

"Nevertheless, welcome to the town of lively music and spirits brewing, Whiskey Peak! We take pride in our hospitality… though we've never had these kinds of numbers come through before!"

"Oh, don't worry, curly-cue man! I wouldn't want to break the island's piggy bank!" Luffy snapped his fingers. "Boys! Break out the stores and help the fine gentleman in charge with preparing the food! We're throwing a party here!" the crews roared their approval. Igaram eyed the passing crews with increasing interest.

"My, my, such a diver- GUAAHAGH! Ma~ma~maaa! Such a diverse group of subordinates you have!"

"Well, I'm not biased! If they can swing a sword and listen to orders, I'll take 'em!" Luffy smirked.

"And such a gracious captain, as well! To think, we are the hosts, yet the guests are providing for us… I have never seen it's like before!" Igaram fiddled with his saxophone, fingering a few keys without any air to play them. "We have an ocean of spirits for your enjoyment! We would love to hear stories of your adventures during the feast!" gin, Sanji and Usopp grinned and linked arms.

"WE'D LOVE TO!" the three cheered and hopped off to woo the townspeople. Luffy merely grinned and shook his head.

"Heh. They sure seem happy. Now, shall we take care of the business before we take care of the pleasure?" Luffy looped an arm around Nami's shoulders and pulled her forward, not noticing the intense blush that leaped onto her face. "Nami, our navigator, will probably have a few questions for you. Oh, and do you have any ship heaters in town?"

….

"And then, quite calmly, I said, 'even if you are sea kings, you aren't going to lay a hand on MY nakama." Usopp, more than a little buzzed, explained to his enraptured listeners. The women squealed very girlishly. Usopp then turned to the men and shrugged, a confident grin on his face. "But then, I must admit that even I was shaking in my boots when we escaped the calm belt… shaking with _excitement_!"

"Ooh! AWESOME!" they cried. "Three cheers for captain Usopp!"

"I think you're embellishing a bit, Usopp." Kuro remarked as he placed his chess piece, pinning his opponent in checkmate. As the man squawked in amazement, Kuro quickly flipped over to his next opponent, planning his move in seconds. The eighteen other participants in his speed chess tournament stared confusedly at their boards, trying to figure out how to beat the genius.

"Oh, come on, Kuro! Lighten up!" Arlong grinned, slightly drunk, as he lifted a bench with ten different girls atop it. "Forty-five…! This is a party! We're allowed to embellish! Forty-six…!" the girls perched atop the seat squealed in both fear and awe at the merman. Arlong laughed. "SHAHAHAHA! You humans are alright! Forty-seven…! You know who's king of the hill! Forty-eight…! Come on! Who else wants a ride on the great Arlong-sama! Pile on, girlies!"

"Heh. Arlong says he hates humans, but the kind words and good drink look pretty persuasive to me!" gin laughed, swirling a drink in his hand. His spellbound audience of at least two dozen villagers hung on his every word. Gin grinned even wider. "Heh. Truth beats embellishment any day, Usopp! So anyways, there I was, sailing Krieg's flagship, when out of nowhere, a demon in a man's skin appeared, with a sword as big as he was long…"

Luffy merely smirked and heaped more food onto his plate. The party was in full swing now. He didn't know where the minor crew members were, but if he had to guess, they'd probably be off in one of the other buildings. 'I hope the seconds actually keep them sober enough to run. Django was looking a little shifty when he agreed to that.' With lightning fast speed, he shoveled plate after plate down. He watched as one cook collapsed in exhaustion. He also vaguely noticed them pouring more and more tranquilizer into their food and drinks. They seemed to be having quite the problem with Arlong, since they were practically opening enough to take down a bull elephant into his next mug.

"Maaaaah! I win again!" Nami cheered as she downed her seventh drink in a single gulp. As they rolled out yet another barrel of wine to crack open (Luffy didn't feel the least bit remorseful that they were probably emptying their food storages to the last crumb) Nami stumbled over to his side, draping herself over his shoulder. "Maaaah, Luffy-kuuuun! You packin' it 'hic!' in!" Luffy grinned as he grabbed a plate and unceremoniously dumped into his mouth. With a single motion, he swallowed it without a hitch.

"That answer enough for you!" he grinned. Nami laughed, a little too high and a little too loud. Luffy supposed it was part of her act. He already knew his navigator had an ungodly constitution. This much alcohol would barely even give her a buzz. Of course, the bounty hunters didn't know that. 'Hmm… I wonder if I can handle booze better now that I'm made of water… that bears further investigation.' He then gave a start when he came back to reality, as Nami had snugly made a nest on his lap as she draped herself lasciviously across his chest.

"Hehehe…" she giggled, blowing on his ear. "That's g-gooood. I like the big eaters, the skinny ones… it gives them so musch… _energy…_" Luffy felt both an embarrassed blush and an irrational anger rising. Sure, some people are flirtatious drunks, so she could be going along with that particular train of thought, but dammit, she didn't have to actually DO something other than talk! "You know, capca- capti- Luffy… you're REEAAAL cute, ya know tha'? How 'bout you and I-"

"OI!" Alvida screamed from across the room, clearly pissed. "Hands offa mah MAHN, BIATCH!" her tankard sloshed crazily in her hand.

"Ahh, shaddup, yah bathhouse whore!" Nami shouted back.

"Why, I aughta…!" Alvida growled as she began to get up.

"Wait, Alvida-chaaaan!" the hordes of men and women she had been flirting with pleaded. "Please don't go yet~~!" Alvida blushed heavily, and with a lusty grin, sat back down.

"Well, for my adoring fans, I'll spare more tihme! Who'se tha mohst BEAUTIFUL on the sea!"

"ALVIDA-SAMA!" they roared back. Nami grinned and leaned back into Luffy's shoulder.

"Hehe…! Now the competition's gone! Whah don't get a room and get dohwn and-"

"I think you've had too much to drink." Luffy was no longer embarrassed, now he was just plain pissed. 'She's making herself look like a slut and she doesn't even care! And to ME!' if she were anybody else, he probably would have thrown her on her ass and stormed out to smash something, preferably some skulls. However, she was nakama, so he got up, dragged her to her wooden tankard, and sat her down. "You stay here, and you behave, you got that? You're drunk."

"HeHEhe!" she warbled. "I'm not- I'm not drunk! I can haave LOTS more!" Luffy simply turned away.

"Yeah. Right." And he walked back to his pile of food, missing the incredibly hurt look on Nami's face.

'I suppose it was a good thing I tested the waters now, when I could pretend I was drunk…' Nami thought to herself, now looking down into her refilled tankard. 'If I had done that when I was undoubtedly sober, he would've been that much angrier with me.' A lone tear fell into the wine, whose trail was quickly wiped away. Suddenly, winning the hundred-thousand beli didn't seem quite so important anymore. 'Dammit, I knew it probably wouldn't happen between us, but why does it hurt so much…!' Zoro merely frowned and downed his tankard in a single gulp. His opponent fell to the table, passed out.

'Wow. Luffy was kind of an asshole, there. Who knew romance pissed him off so much…?' the sight of a crying Nami was enough to throw him off his rhythm. 'Ahh, whatever. I can pass out soon, and just filch the hundred-thousand off of their corpses. Once they attack.' And with that, Zoro slumped to the table. "Too much… I'm sleepy…" and with that, Zoro allowed himself to nap.

…

The island was silent. The moonlight shined down on the cactus rocks, on the thousands of graves littering the giant stones. The world was still.

Then, almost as one, all of the doors on the island creaked open. Without a word, the minor crews of the straw hat armada began to sneak out to the ships. Nobody noticed it, for nobody was outside at the moment. Only as the ladders were rolled up on the ships, and the crews hidden silently in their ships' holds, did another door creak open. Igaram stumbled outwards, slightly tipsy. With an effort, he shook off the effects of the alcohol and smiled sinisterly.

"They finally tired themselves out and fell asleep. Sleep well, my little adventurers. For tonight, the dancing moonlight is illuminating the cactus rocks." Two figures leaped down.

"Well, aren't you quite the poet, Igarrapoi. Or should I say, Mr. 8?" Mr. 9 proclaimed as they landed.

"So it's you two." Igaram stated.

"What of the travelers?" Vivi asked.

"They have fallen… into hell." A door creaked open, and out walked Mrs. Monday. With a groggy motion, she pulled off the nun's habit around her shoulders, exposing her well-toned muscles.

"Honestly… those people… we had to use every last bit of tranquilizer in our storage to bring them down. Otherwise, they'd still be up and causing a ruckus right now." She massaged her biceps to get feeling back in them. "But was that truly necessary? They had numbers on their side, true, but was it truly necessary? The town is already facing a food crisis, and then we have to empty the larders for them, down to the emergency rations." She threw a glare at the disgraced duo. "Especially now that those two failed to bring back the meat."

"I resent that!" Mr. 9 cried. "We tried very hard, I'll have you know!"

"Compose yourselves, all of you!" Igaram shouted. "If we had tried to take them out in the harbor or at any other time, they would have slaughtered us. Take a look at these." He pulled out three bounty posters from his pocket. "I've been doing some checking on the core ship, where it seems the commander is." Their eyes widened at the photos of Luffy, Arlong and Kuro.

"F-FIFTY MILLION!" they screamed.

"A low-brow rookie from the east blue has fifty million!" Mr. 9 shouted.

"Correct. Add that to the two under his command, Saw-Tooth Arlong and Kuro of the Thousand Plans, along with other minor bounties scattered among the other crews, and the total price easily exceeds one hundred million beli. We could not allow this opportunity to escape." The operatives' eyes widened at the thought of that amount of money.

"O-One hundred million…!" Vivi breathed. "If we add that to whatever the ships will sell for and any valuables they have, and that could feed the entire town for at least a decade…!" Igaram nodded.

"But now, they are incapacitated, so we can make an extremely favorable report to the boss. Someone my even move up a number for this kind of a find." The three bristled with excitement. "Search their boats for valuables, and get the prisoners secured where they can't wake up. The government does like their executions, after all."

"So, that was what was going on here." Said a voice from a distance. Everybody froze.

"It was obvious when you thought about it logically. No town without an ulterior motive would welcome people who would plunder them as soon as sup with them." Echoed another voice.

"True, true. Sorry, but could you let them rest for a bit longer? They're weary from their travels, and solid ground is good for the soul." The four Baroque Works agents whirled around to see two silhouettes etched across the moon's face. One held a gleaming blade up as a beacon, while another scratched at the moon as a cat pawing with its prey.

"Mr. 8! Mrs. Monday! The minor crews are gone, along with the glasses man and the one with the haramaki…!"

"They're up there, though I don't know about the small fry." Said Vivi.

"Fiends!" Igaram growled. "You both should have been passed out unconscious right now!"

"No true swordsman, under any circumstances, allows himself to be overcome by drink." Zoro grinned devilishly.

"And no smart pirate, under any circumstances, allows himself to unwind in a town they do not understand fully." Kuro finished, making a pawing motion in the air. On anything else, it would have looked cute and disarming, but this night, with the moon and the bloodlust glinting in his circular glasses, he looked like something out of a night terror. Zoro stood slowly, pointing Wado at the now-assembled group.

"We already figured out what was going on when we first stepped on shore. When merry pirates first stop into the grand line, and rest at this nest of bounty hunters, and plunder them for all they're worth." Zoro smirked at their scowling faces.

"Zoro-san, I roughly count about a hundred and fifty of them." Said Kuro. "A fairly large amount, given the lack of housing and natural resources on this island."

"aaa, impressive. This'll give my blades quite the workout!" they both grinned ferally as one. "We'll take you on, Baroque Works!" the entire assembly started, horror written across their faces.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME!" Igaram screamed. Zoro grinned.

"What, other than the fact that my captain told me this was one of your nests?" the hunters stiffened. "I while back, when I was still in this line of work, your organization sent a scout to talk with me. I refused, of course. I didn't like how things were run."

"The rumors of the sea are quite vivid, if you know where to listen in. your organization is not quite as secret as you would like." Kuro pushed up his glasses, flashing a bit of fangs. "The members know nothing of each other, and name themselves with days and numbers. The ultimate chessmaster is hidden in a shroud of darkness and misdirection, even to his highest ranking officials. A mafia-esque group that slavishly obeys their orders, dancing to the strings of the unknown puppeteer, to the tune only he knows, to the ends of his goals, to the end of the world. Baroque Works."

"Well, aren't you waxing lyrical about them?" Zoro said, impressed.

"I try." Kuro turned to the fuming bounty hunters, and smirked. "Was it supposed to be a secret?"

"…this is surprising." Igaram said finally, his face covered in shadows. "I suppose, since you know our little secret, we have no choice but to eliminate you both. And then two more graves will be added to the cactus rocks." Kuro was unmoved as he glanced up at the giant monuments.

"…the needles are all graves?" he said in a monotone. "Well, then I suppose this little town was more successful than I had originally imagined. How morbid." Igaram smirked. He blinked…

"KILL THEM!" he screamed, only to gasp in shock.

The two swordsmen were no longer there.

"W-Where the hell did they go!" Mr. 9 exclaimed.

"He's gone!" Igaram shouted. The crowd looked about frantically, trying to spot them before they struck. It continued for a good fifteen seconds, before a well-to-do dressed man screeched. The crowd looked, and did the same. Standing in their midst, without them even noticing and looking like they had every right to be there, were Zoro and Kuro. The swordsmen smirked.

"Right then… shall we dance?" Zoro asked good-naturedly.

"With pleasure." Kuro replied, holding out a hand and bowing deeply. The hunters cocked their guns and pointed aimed them.

"Bastards! Making fun of us!" they fired as one… and fell as one, as the bullets traveled from one side to the other, making corpses out of them.

"The idiots! They shot each other!" Igaram exclaimed.

"Th-they disappeared again!" Mr. 9 shouted. Vivi growled softly. Igaram, however, was pissed.

"Hurry up and kill them already! It's just two swordsmen!" and then, two blades slid though his curls with a soft SNIKT! The Alabasta captain stiffened.

"Ah, but haven't you heard the saying, 'two swordsmen are better than one?" The First Mate asked amiably, lying side by side with Kuro on the man's back.

"Truly a shame, when our elders don't know the proverbs the children knows." The Strategist replied. Both were barely containing their smirks. They were having far too much fun screwing with their heads.

"So, tell us, will two graves really be enough?" Zoro finished. The grunts gave a start and aimed at them.

"Look, there they are! Get them!" Igaram turned blue with terror.

"I-IDIOTS! Are you trying to shoot me too!" the bounty hunters continued to cock and aim. STOP IT! IGARAPPA!" he heaved his saxophone over his head, pelting his aggressors with lethal buckshot. When he whirled about to survey the damage, the two were gone.

"Shit… that thing's a shotgun?" Zoro breathed.

"I'm almost shocked. How that thing didn't manage to pelt everything in a twenty-foot radius with that wide of an opening is beyond me." Kuro nodded.

"I think it actually grazed me a bit, back there." Zoro looked at his shoulder, and sure enough, there was a thin scratch. It was barely bleeding, but that was not the point.

"I can't imagine that it gets much distance, though, if it's not as focused."

"So, it's a wide-area, close-range shotgun. Don't get in its range."

"That goes without saying." Kuro drawled. "So, 75 for me and 75 for you?" Zoro nodded.

"Yeah. Oh! And orders from the captain." Kuro arched an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he told me before we disembarked. Don't kill any of the named agents." Kuro's eyes widened slightly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so, that'd be the curly guy, the black woman, the king wannabe and the blue-haired girl. Anyone else is fair game."

"Is there a reason why he doesn't want lethal force on the strongest members in the group?"

"He said something about the enemy of our enemy, but I didn't really understand it." Kuro's eyebrows shot up.

"The enemy of mine enemy is mine friend? He said that? I am… intrigued as to why he would say that. Does he know something we don't?"

"Isn't that par for the course with Luffy?" Zoro smirked. Kuro couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"That is true."

"Ya know, when Luffy had you join, I thought you'd be all no-nonsense and a hardass, but you're alright."

"There was an insult in there somewhere, I just know it." Zoro laughed.

"Ha-ha! And you have a sense of humor, too! Will wonders never cease?"

"Well, what can I say?" Kuro shoved his glasses back up his nose. "I can't be around you lunatics without some crazy rubbing off. I'll thank you to never mention this to the others, though. I rather like my reputation as a hardass. It keeps the annoying ones from hassling me to play inane games."

"Sure, sure! Same here!" Zoro fingered his three hilts. "So, this looks like a good opportunity to put my new boys through the hoops." Kuro flexed his fingers, his ten blades dancing in the night air.

"Indeed. This will be the first time I've used these in battle. We shall see if they make the cut. You take the black woman and the cosplay king. I've got the girl and the mayor."

"Gotcha. Those two are brute force fighters, I can tell. I can't figure out what the girl's fighting style is, so be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Kuro asked dryly. "I've had a dozen contingency plans concocted the moment we stepped on the island. I'll be fine."

"I'VE FOUND THEM!" another hunter screamed as he whipped double pistols down at them. "DIE!" without even thinking, the two threw themselves backwards into the door, kicking up a table as they were quickly pelted by a dozen bounty hunter bullets.

"Damn, we must've been talking too loud." Zoro cursed. "Well, nothing for it. You go left, I go right?"

"See you when you're finished." Kuro nodded. At the silent cry of 'GO!' the swordsmen slashed apart the table and breezed through the assassins. Kuro crouched down and began to plan as the blood gushed upwards behind him. "The claws are impressive in their sharpness. That old man knew what he was doing." With a burst of speed, he was behind a woman on the roof and slashing open her back. Kuro arched an eyebrow as he swiped at the air lazily, noting a slight shimmer in the air. "Hmm… this is interesting. There are many things that can be done with this, if that is what I think it is. But no. that is for another time." He leaped from one roof to another. "Now, the bloody red moon is rising." His glasses glinted dangerously. "And the full moon… it sets my blood to boil!"

…

Luffy slowly cracked an eye open, groaning softly. "Urgh… I ate too much… my stomach's all bloated…" he rolled himself upwards (a rather impressive feat given his impossibly distended middle) and steadied himself on a table. "Ugh… roger, I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Not my fault. You're the one who pigged out in enemy territory." Roger answered, not feeling like materializing himself.

"Yeah, but if they're going to feed us, then why not take advantage of it? You got any ideas how to help?"

"Hmm… try speeding up your digestive tract. The human body drains water from food as a way to absorb nutrients more easily, and stomach acid softens and breaks down food to make it more receptive to absorption, so if you boost those two, maybe it'll help?" roger ended with something akin to a vocal shrug.

Luffy nodded and waved a hand over his belly. It slowly began to shrink down, but he was struck by massive cramps as he did so. "GHH! Sonofabitch! That hurts!"

"Hmm… didn't expect that. Guess it's done at that speed for a reason?" gold roger nodded. "Now that I think about it, you should leave some fluids for the food. If you don't, you'll probably get wicked constipation when we get back to the ship."

"Agh…! Dammit, I'll worry about that later. Any news on what's going on outside?"

"Well, Zoro and Kuro are out there raising hell. Vivi tried to seduce him with that perfume stuff that she used on Zoro before, but since he's a misogynist, it didn't work on him at all."

"Kuro's a misogynist?" Luffy said incredulously.

"Oh, yeah, he hates women. He seems rather fond of Nami, since they're both brilliant, but you haven't seen the looks of utter contempt he's shot at Alvida when she's feeling particularly horny. I haven't quite figured out if that means he's gay, though..." Roger trailed off.

"Right, moving on from Kuro's sex preferences. So Vivi couldn't beat him. How's she doing?"

"Oh, well, Kuro seemed to have gotten word from Zoro that the agents were off limits, so he just knocked her out. Carue got pretty pissed at him for that, though, so he tried to attack him. He fell off the roof when he charged him, though." Luffy felt his sweatdrop sprout when he listened to roger's byplay.

"I've always wondered if that duck is insane… anything else?"

"Well, Zoro took out Mr. 9 and Ms. Monday pretty easily, though they're both alive. As far as I could tell before you woke up, Kuro was still trying to figure out how to take out Igaram and his saxgun without actually hurting the fella. Maybe you could help there?"

"Yeah, now that I'm awake. You know where Nami went?" he glanced over at her empty chair.

"I think she went to try and plunder the town's riches. I doubt she'll come up with much, but it's a good effort."

"Yeah. She loves money more than anything, doesn't she roger?" Luffy grinned as he walked out the door. Roger refrained from telling the boy that he probably outstripped money by a long shot. "Look, there's Igaram. Judging how he's pelting that building with buckshot, I'd guess Kuro's somewhere in there." Luffy pulled a ball of water out of his water flask and, striking a pose similar to a baseball pitcher, chucked the ball straight into Igaram's head. The captain of the Alabasta royal guard sank like a ton of bricks. Kuro poked his head out of the building and nodded.

"I'm glad you showed up as you did, captain. That was rather timely of you." Kuro brushed himself off as he slowly jogged to Luffy's side. "Zoro should be finishing up right now."

"Excellent. Collect Mr. 8 and bring him aboard the fleet. I'll collect our other escortee."

"Oh? We're escorting someone now?" Kuro arched an eyebrow. Luffy nodded as he manipulated the water back into the flask.

"Correct. Princess Nefertari Vivi and Igaram, captain of the Alabasta royal guard, masquerading as Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 8 in the Baroque Works organization."

"Oho? They're actually royalty? Curiouser and curiouser…"

"indeed." On the breath of the wind, Luffy faintly heard a soft 'BOOM!' in the distance. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes I did. It seems we have company." Kuro frowned. "This was unexpected."

"I suspect it'll be higher-ranking agents, come to eliminate the moles in their group. You're faster, so find Zoro and get him to protect Vivi. Tell him it's related to our previous conversations. I'll bring Igaram aboard myself."

"Yes, captain." And Kuro blurred into nothing. Luffy turned and hoisted Igaram onto his shoulders. "Damn. You're heavy, you know that?"

"Th… the princess…" Igaram mumbled.

"She's fine. I've got my crew protecting her right now. Vivi and yourself are safe in my care." Luffy whispered. That seemed to be the right thing to say, for Igaram relaxed completely and allowed himself to be carried away.

"So. We're suddenly baby-sitting them now, are we?" Nami asked as she pushed herself out of the shadows. Luffy blinked in surprise.

"Hey, Nami. I would've thought you'd still be plundering the place for gold."

"There's barely any treasure in this rathole town. Some bounty hunter nest this is." She pouted, arms crossed. Luffy laughed.

"Ha-ha! Well, I suspect running a town costs a bit when you can only run off bounties. Say, can you run and wake the others up? We're setting sail, and I want there to be no problems because somebody's still passed out." Luffy asked. Nami shrugged.

"Sure, I suppose." Luffy frowned at the non-enthusiastic answer.

"Hey. Is something the matter?" he questioned as she began to turn. Nami stiffened.

"…no." she finally replied.

"liar." He instantly retorted.

"Look, just leave me alone. It's none of your business." Luffy stretched himself and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back to him. "ACK! Let me go!"

"Nami, I'm your captain. But more importantly, I'm your nakama. Even if it's none of my business, it does trouble me when any of my precious people are sad. So, please, tell me. What's wrong?" Luffy said in a kind tone. Nami couldn't help but feel the red splash across her cheeks.

"I… I told you, it's none of your business…" she mumbled. The straw-hat boy sighed and released her.

"Fine. If you say so. But, remember, Nami… we're nakama. You can talk to me about these things. Whatever it is, I won't judge you." that last part stung more than it should have. Nami turned away, trying to hide the tears.

"You idiot… you already have judged me…" she whispered, soft enough so he wouldn't hear. And then she ran away, running towards the party hall. Luffy sighed and scratched his head.

"Gah… I just don't understand her…"

"Boy, you are the most insensitive, idiotic person I have ever met on the grand line."

"What! What did I do!" Luffy protested. Gold roger sighed.

"If you can't figure it out when it's practically clubbing you over the head with a two-by-four, then I'm not getting involved. Muddle it out by yourself." And then he was silent again.

"Jeez… everybody's pissy today…" Luffy sprinted up the path and deposited Igaram onto the deck of the going merry. He noted the fact that the other three ships of the fleet were a hive of activity. "Hmm. I'm surprised they didn't attack the ships, seeing as how all the grunts were there. Oh, well. Lucky us." Luffy stretched his senses, trying to find life. "Whoa! That Monday lady's gonna get crushed!" he didn't really know too much about her, but according to Vivi, she sacrificed her life to stop the agents, so she couldn't be all bad. With a burst of unheard of energy, he hurtled across the town to where the woman lay prone.

…..

"And with my kilo kilo ability, that traitor, Ms. Monday will be crushed into the ground! I can change my weight at will. Right now I'm light enough to float on the wind. But watch as I become heavier!" Mrs. Valentine laughed. "Two kilo, three kilo…" her downward descent became faster. "Five kilo, ten kilo, 100 kilo, 1000 kilo…" a figure rushed out from the buildings and pushed the burly woman out of harm's way. "10000 kilo press!" the ground exploded as the figure was crushed under the massive weight. Ms. Valentine stood up and noticed her intended target was still intact. "Did I miss?" Mr. 5 continued to pick his nose.

"No. somebody pushed her out of the way."

"And I'm still here! see ya!" the man stood up, impossibly unharmed, grabbed Mrs. Monday, slung her over his shoulder and ran impossibly fast. Vivi gaped at her improbable savior. The two baroque works agents, however, were not amused.

"He escaped."

"He can't escape. We can find him and finish him off later. But right now, our priority is the criminals who know the boss' secret." He pulled his finger out of his nose. "nose fancy cannon!" the explosive booger flew out… and was sliced in half by a katana, the two halves diverting off at the canyon. Zoro immediately wiped at the blade.

"Ewww! I had to cut snot!" Vivi pulled out her peacock slashers.

"Why do you have to be so persistent at a time like this!" Zoro, without turning around, sliced the whirling weapons into tiny pieces. The tip of his sword was at her throat before she could even blink.

"Not so fast. I came to save you." Vivi sucked in a sharp breath.

"Save me…?"

….

Luffy placed the unconscious woman beside Igaram on the going merry, absently noting that the crew was now there, albeit confused and very groggy. "Watch over these two, I'm going to get our last passenger. And…" Luffy thought for a moment. "And get a raiding party formed. Have them loot the town of any valuables. Weapons, food, jewelry, hell, even furniture, anything that we can use or can be sold are to be taken to the holds. Quickly, now!" Arlong nodded and leaped into the water to relay the message.

The captain jumped back onto land. "Where are they…!" with a coiling and uncoiling of muscles, Luffy launched himself into the air. "Mizu Mizu kiri!" he declared as his body became lighter than air as it dissipated into mist. He hung like that in the air for about five seconds before he spotted his targets. "There! Release!" with a snap, his body came back together, and he plummeted to earth. The dust kicked up immediately as Zoro leaped back from the crater suddenly in front of him.

"What the hell!" Luffy stood, and Zoro relaxed. "Oh. It's just you, Luffy."

"Yeah." He turned to the onlooking Vivi, who was gaping in shock that he was still alive after that. "Revered princess Vivi, scion of the Nefertari dynasty and future ruler of the Alabasta kingdom. As one ruler of a mighty nation to another, it is an honor to be in your presence. Long may your lands be fertile, your coffers deep, and your lineage pure." Vivi's eyes widened. She wasn't the most attentive person ever in the royal tutor's history lessons, but even she could tell that that greeting was old. Very old, very powerful, and indicated an intimacy between nations that was almost unheard of in this day and age. "If you would be partial to the idea, milady, would you prefer me to dispose of the trash that dares hinder your progress?"

"I, uh, um, yes," Vivi fumbled, trying to recall any of her courtly manners. "Yes, my lord, you may proceed with that, with my blessings." Luffy grinned.

"Well met and well said, milady. I shall do as you request." Luffy cracked his knuckles, feeling almost euphoric at seeing his dear nakama once again. "Don't worry, Zoro! I don't need your help!" Mrs. Valentine laughed.

"Kyahahahaha! He's funny! He thinks he can beat us!" Mr. 5 continued to pick his nose. Luffy cast a critical eye on him.

"You know, it's rude to pick your nose in front of a lady. Perhaps I need to teach you some MANNERS!" he poured out the flask of water on his belt, immediately shaping it into a sharp point. "Mizu Mizu HARPOON!" the projectile shot through the air at the man.

"Nose fancy cannon!" he flicked the booger out, and the two collided in midair. The harpoon continued on its trajectory and punched through Mr. 5's shoulder. The harpoon twisted around and returned to Luffy, who clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Tsk, tsk. I missed."

"What the hell are you!" Vivi screamed. Luffy grinned at her.

"I'm the one who's gonna kick your ass!" Mr. 5 stumbled up, clutching his now-useless arm.

"Ghh! Ms. Valentine!" the woman jumped into the air, laughing all the way.

"Kyahahahaha! 10000 kilo press!" the woman slammed down on Luffy's head, crushing him. She laughed. "He was fun to beat!" a blade pressed into her throat.

"Who was easy to beat, now?" Luffy whispered in her ear. The breath in the woman's throat caught. Luffy smashed the sword hilt down on her skull, and she slumped down unconscious. "One down, one to go." He disappeared and reformed behind Mr. 5. "Night-night!" he repeated the same action before he could even move. He crumpled into a boneless heap. Luffy resheathed his sword. "Let them nurse that headache for a while, before they return to their master. He'll more than likely shit his pants when somebody can defeat his agents this badly." He rather doubted crocodile would even care about this minor setback, but bravado always sounded good.

"Aaaah…" Vivi breathed as she almost collapsed bonelessly off Carue. "I… I'm alive…" Luffy smiled and gently tugged at Carue's reins.

"Come now, princess, we must reunite you with your guard so we can send you on your way." Vivi snapped to alertness at that.

"What! You're leaving!"

"We're leaving?" Zoro asked, confused as well. Luffy nodded.

"Yes, we saved them from an inglorious death. However, we are not obligated to help them. We are, after all, pirates."

"But…! But…!" Vivi stuttered. Luffy turned and looked her straight in the eye.

"No. we are sending you on your way." It was only then that Vivi realized Luffy was acting oddly. His voice was far too loud for such close proximity, and he kept doing odd things with his eyes. They kept jerking upwards. "I repeat, we are not going to help the princess. We are simply going to reunite her with her guard on our ship, and send them on their way." Again Luffy's eyes jerked upwards. Vivi was struck with a moment of clarity, as she ever-so-slowly glanced upwards. There, circling above their heads, were the unluckies. Zoro followed her sudden, soft gasp upwards as well. He swore silently as he noted the messengers.

"So that's what you're doing…" Zoro whispered so only they could hear. "You're keeping us from getting a hit put on us…" Vivi cleared her throat.

"I... I understand you, good sir. I thank you for your timely intervention, but if you bring me to my guard, I will not impinge on your good nature any longer." Luffy nodded jerkily, but his grin was splitting his face apart.

"Atta girl." He whispered more to himself than anybody else as he tugged Carue along, back to the straw hat armada.

…..

"So. What are we going to do now?" Kuro asked as the ragtag group gathered in the ship's meeting room. "The animal messengers - the unluckies, as our new passenger calls them – are watching the ship. According to her, they are intelligent enough to sketch our faces, which, if we do not convince them we are letting them go, they will do and deliver to their mysterious boss, Mr. 0. Yet, captain Luffy wishes to assist them in their endeavor to reach the kingdom of Alabasta." He glanced at Luffy and Vivi, who were sitting side by side. "Does that accurately capture the situation?"

"Yes. Thank you, Kuro." Luffy steepled his hands, staring at his core crew. "Helping princess Vivi is not up for discussion. It is what we are doing. We are escorting her to the kingdom of Alabasta, come hell or high water." There were many shouts at this, the loudest being Sanji declaring himself to be 'Vivi-chwan's devoted servant!' "Nevertheless, if we do not throw the unluckies off our tail, we will be blacklisted and they will try to kill us. I do not doubt they will find this task impossible… but they can cause the fleet and the men irreparable harm before they go down. Suggestions?"

"We could kill the unluckies." Said gin. Luffy shook his head.

"No, they would know that instantly. If the unluckies failed to return when they are in the same vicinity as Vivi and her hit, they will put two and two together. They will send more powerful agents to find her, and I do not want that."

"We could outrace them. Those animals can't have very good stamina." Arlong suggested. Luffy also shook his head to that.

"Those animals are born and bred to be able to traverse the grand line. The vulture itself is trained to be able to fly from multiple islands with an otter, more than one set of explosives, and several messages. Think how fast it could be with only the otter." The others fell silent.

"We could trick them… make them think Vivi left." Igaram suggested as he absently cleared his throat. Luffy arched an eyebrow. Even though this was what had to happen, to save them in the long run, he still had to make it convincing.

"And what makes you think they'll fall for it? And for that matter, how do you plan on tricking them?"

"I know the unluckies. I've made use of them, and I know enough about them to know how they work. They have incredible short-term memories, which is how they're able to make such accurate sketches of their targets after just mere glances, but their intentional breeding for this effect made their long-term memory fail drastically. without those sketches, they don't remember a thing within fifteen minutes. That, combined with their bestial lack of intelligence, can make them easily fooled if they don't get a good look at your face."

Igaram cleared his throat. "What I'm suggesting is that I dress as Vivi-sama, make use of our emergency boat, and draw them away from your fleet. I will use an eternal pose we saved to head straight towards Alabasta, while you take her on the roundabout path." The assembly was silent, trying to contemplate it, before Luffy nodded.

"Alright. I see no problem with it. We shall go with that plan. If you require resources to create your outfit, I am certain the other ships will provide." Igaram nodded.

"Thank you, straw hat."

…..

"Vivi…" Igaram whispered, drawing the princess into a soft hug. "This may be the last time we see each other for a while." Vivi was barely holding back tears. "The way forward may be dangerous. Please, be careful."

"iga-" she began, before silencing herself. Instead, she simply held out a hand. Igaram smiled and shook.

"Ma~ma~maaa! Now, I, the princess Vivi, shall depart." He said in an obscenely bad falsetto. He turned to Luffy. "Please take care of my charge, young straw hat." Luffy nodded.

"You can count on me." And with that, Igaram stepped aboard the small two-person ship. With a few swift tugs of the sail, the ship was fast out of the harbor. Luffy grabbed Vivi by the hand and began to tug her away. He really didn't want her to see what was coming next. "Come on, Vivi. We leave, now, before the unluckies realize they've been had. RAIDING PARTY, LAST CALL! FINISH YOUR PILLAGING AND GET ON BOARD!"

"Ah, but…!" Vivi began.

"No buts, princess! The curly-cue mayor gave me his orders! Now hurry on board! SET SAIL!" Luffy grabbed Vivi by the waist (not noticing the fiery blush that resulted from that grab) and leaped aboard.

"EEEEK!" she shrieked as her feet left the ground.

"Don't worry, princess. I got ya." Luffy grinned, and then they were on solid planking. "Are we ready to sail?"

"The raiding parties have gotten back aboard their ships, and the fleet has already begun to move." Nami declared, ignoring the burning feeling in her gut at the rather intimate way Luffy had grabbed his charge. "We can set sail any second now…" Zoro finished pulling the anchor up. "And we're off!" the wind filled the sails, and the going merry shot off like a bullet.

"Whooo~! This is great! This fog is thick!" Usopp cheered.

"It'll be morning soon, so this fog will clear soon." Nami declared. Arlong swiped his hand through the fog, feeling the water condense onto the center of his palm.

"Such thick fog… enemies could be hiding anywhere in here." He said as he flicked it overboard. The entire crew ignored the small waterspouts from the impacts.

"Well, then it's a good thing you got away from your pursuers, so they can't hide!"

"That's right!" Nami nodded. Arlong, gin and Kuro stiffened. Luffy grinned secretly into his hat.

"Watch out for those shallows on the right, so that they don't strike the hull."

"You can count on me!" Nami said cheerfully. Luffy grinned even wider as he waited for the other shoe to drop.

"…um… was that you, Luffy?" Nami asked hesitantly. Luffy whirled around dramatically, pulling into a deep bow.

"No, that would be our esteemed guest, who has finally decided to reveal herself." He pulled out of the bow and faced Robin (Ms. All-Sunday, he reminded himself), who was grinning slightly.

'Damn… Luffy, please, tell me, how the hell did you manage to get so many hot girls on your crew?' roger asked mentally.

'What, Nami, Vivi and Robin count as 'many'? That's only three!'

'AND THAT'S USUALLY THREE MORE THAN MOST CREWS, DAMMIT! WHY!' he screamed.

'Ugh. Shut up, roger, before your pervyness rubs off on me.' "How are you, madam?"

"Such manners to a stowaway. I'm flattered. Were that all the sea was so well-behaved." The rest of the crew whirled about at the sound of her voice.

"What the!" Zoro shouted.

"Intruder!" Arlong roared as he, almost as a reflex, ripped a pair of teeth from his gums and hurled it through the air. Luffy jerked up at the whistling noise, his eyes widening at the projectile.

"ENOUGH!" Luffy whipped up a hand and froze the jaw in mid-air. 'Good thing we were still in this thick fog, or I'd never be able to pull that off so quickly. On the plus side, she can't tell what I did, and it looked really cool!' the teeth castanet floated down to his hand, where he tossed it unceremoniously overboard. "Did I not already say that this woman was my guest, Arlong?" he glared at the fishman, who was stunned by the hostility.

"But I… this human is an intruder, and-"

"I was well aware of her presence since the moment she stepped aboard. Or to you impugn on my intelligence?" Luffy barked.

"What! I, no, I just-"

Remember who is in charge, Arlong, and by whose good graces you are still drawing breath. You do not have to act with impunity." He turned back to Robin, and bowed once more. "I apologize for my subordinate's actions. I hope you are not offended."

"Not at all, captain." Robin smiled. "On the contrary, your hospitality is very generous." Vivi could keep quiet no more.

"Luffy! Do you not know who this is!"

"Why yes, I do, in fact, know this woman's identity. Would you like me to use your real name or your codename, madam?" Robin arched an eyebrow.

"Oh? You think you know who I am?"

"So, codename it is, Ms. All-Sunday." Luffy smiled, throwing Robin for a bit of a turn. The crew jerked in surprise.

"All-Sunday!" Nami exclaimed. "Then, she's a Baroque Works agent!"

"Correct. And a very high-ranking one, as well. How is Mr. 0 these days?"

"SHE'S MR. 0'S PARTNER!" gin shouted.

"My, my, you continue to surprise me, Monkey D. Luffy. Are we truly that transparent to your eyes?" Robin asked. Luffy shrugged amiably.

"aaa, don't underestimate yourselves! I have no doubt you keep your secrets close to your hearts. It's just that I have some VERY reliable sources." He grinned. "After all, information is a powerful resource, isn't it?"

"Quite right. I can see our information on your is very inaccurate." Nami could hold it no longer.

"Luffy, why are we being so polite with the people that tried to kill us!" luffy7 sent her a glance.

"What? Can we not have a civilized conversation? The parts do not represent the whole, after all. Arlong has shown that quite well." Arlong seemed to lose a few inches in height at that. "Besides, we can show this woman the courtesy she deserves! After all, she was the one that gave Vivi the identity of Baroque Works' leader!"

"She did!" Alvida shouted. Robin merely nodded

"You were also the one who told him about his exposed identity, weren't you!" Vivi shouted. Robin nodded to that too. "What are your intentions here!"

"Who knows?" she shrugged. Luffy grinned.

"And that is exactly how it should be. After all, if we knew the heart of a woman, then where is the intrigue?" Robin chuckled softly at that.

"My, my, you say the strangest things."

"I have a finely-tuned sense of romance in me. What do you think drew me to the sea in the first place?" Nami almost punched Luffy in the face for saying that. Gold roger felt the need to slap him upside the head as well.

"Well, then, I can see why you chose this route you've just set yourself upon." Robin grew serious. "Nevertheless, I feel the need to point out the futility of your acts. A princess who thinks she can take on the might of Baroque Works and survive, to save her country… and a motley band of pirates she enlists, no doubt hungry after the smell of gold. Stories like these only end well in fairy tales." Vivi stiffened, rage building.

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" she screamed. Almost at once, every weapon aboard the ship was in hand and pointed in Robin's direction.

"If you think we'll let you get away with threatening the beautiful Miss Wednesday…" Sanji growled, an uncharacteristic pistol pointed at her head.

"…then you're sadly mistaken." Kuro finished, pointer finger-blade tickling Robin's throat. She grimaced.

"Could you refrain from pointing those dangerous things at me?" she said in a scolding tone. Almost at once, Sanji and Kuro were thrown over the rail onto the main deck, and every weapon was slapped out of grasping hands.

"It can't be!" Nami gasped.

"The devil fruit!" Zoro exclaimed. Luffy felt his ire rising.

"ENOUGH!" he roared, freezing everybody. "Have you all lost your minds! Did I not just finish telling you this kind of shit WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!" everybody felt the need to hang their heads, though Luffy noted out of the corner of his eye that Zoro almost had a guiltily pleased look that he was now disarmed. "if this happens one more time, I don't care who you are, I will treat it as an act of mutiny and throw you all overboard, so help me Kronos!" Robin's eyes widened slightly at the exclamation. Luffy sighed and turned back to her. "Once again, I apologize. They are slightly twitchy today."

"That name… that name you said, Kronos…" Robin whispered. "Why does that name sound familiar…" Luffy's eyes widened.

'Familiar…! Could she!' he then caught up to his overactive mind. 'No… no, she's not from the future. She's an archeologist; she might have stumbled across the name on a poneglyph somewhere. They were made in that era…' even with the rational explanation, he couldn't help but feel the pain in his chest that it wasn't HIS Robin suddenly remembering. "Is there something wrong, Ms. All-Sunday?" he asked, keeping his emotions in check.

"No… nothing at all." She said slowly. "But really, you should all calm yourselves. I'm not under any orders at the moment, so I have no reason to fight any of you."

"What, so you're just here to sate your curiosity or something?"Gin said sarcastically.

"Why, yes, yes I am." Luffy felt an arm sprout from the top of his head and throw Hat towards Robin. She snatched it out of the air and placed it over her own. "I can see the kind of power you infamously possess, Monkey D. Luffy."

"But really, you pirates have picked up some bad luck. Placing your protection over a princess that Baroque Works wants dead… going up against the might of over two-thousand employees with such a small fleet… but really, your worst luck of all is the route your log pose is leading you on." Nami jerked her eyes to the compass on her wrist at her words. "The name of the next island is Little Garden. My dears, even if Baroque Works did absolutely nothing to stop you all, you will be annihilated." Luffy grinned. 'She showboated her powers, now to showboat mine!'

"And I suppose you have a better offer for us?" he grinned, and snapped his fingers. At once, his hat, Robin's hat and the eternal pose in her pocket came flying towards her. Her eyes shot open as he placed Hat on, then Robin's hat atop this, and examined the Eternal pose in his hand. "An eternal pose to Alabasta… or rather, an island just short of Alabasta, allowing us an unknown shortcut to the kingdom." Robin blinked owlishly, showing shock for the first time.

"How did you…!"

"Of course, this route would deprive us of much needed experience in combat, making it almost a certainty that when we get to Alabasta, the epicenter of Baroque Works' agency and a bloody civil war, we would get unceremoniously slaughtered by the forces opposing us." Luffy looked Robin straight in the eye. "Those were your orders, weren't they? To get us to take the easy way, the way that will make us weak and easily killed; those were your orders from Mr. 0."

"What! I, no…" Robin protested. Luffy knew it was a lie, of course. When he asked her about it in the future, she had told the entire crew such. Luffy didn't hate her for it; after all, at this point in time, she was still using crocodile as a shield from the government and the bounty hunters, and thought the Straw Hats were just a bunch of weakling underdogs. That didn't mean he couldn't use the information to screw with her, however.

With a flex of his hand, the eternal pose shattered into tiny glass fragments. "Even if I didn't already know that this was a trap, I'd destroy this. Despite how kind you are, you don't get to decide the route of this ship. Only crewmembers are allowed that right." Robin froze, before schooling her emotions and her face back into impassivity.

"Oh. That's unfortunate. I suppose you follow that romance inside you. To save the beautiful princess, you embark on a heroic quest across the land, to slay the ferocious dragon destroying her lands…" she gently leaped off the rail and began slowly walking towards the ship's side. "I hate to tell you this, but this is not the olden times. The real world is much, much harsher."

"I suppose you would know from experience?" Luffy questioned. The only expression of emotion Luffy could see was a slight tensing of her right fist. Yet to him, who knew his nakama like the back of his hand, it was as if she had screamed her confirmation from the top of a building stark naked.

"Who knows?" was all she said.

"Hmm… well, then." He flipped her cowboy hat towards her, which she snatched out of the air. "Perhaps I should warn you of this harsh world's realities, as you have done for me. Be careful as you return to your master. I've heard that there is resurgence in the crocodile sea king population." Both Vivi and Robin suddenly tensed.

"Oh? Is that so?" Robin glanced back. Her eyes saw only Vivi's eyes wide open with recognition. Every other person was clueless to the allusion of identity. This told her volumes about the boy with the straw hat, and only added more weight to the shroud of mystery surrounding him. "I'm afraid I've heard nothing of the sort."

"I have a rather intimate knowledge of that area of life." _'I know everything about you and Baroque Works.' _"Why, I even saw one the other day while I was exploring away from the ship. It leaped out of the air and snatched a Robin that was flying too close to the water because of being chased by many birds of prey, killing it instantly." _'I know your identity as well, and why you are with them. Being with him will be your destruction.' _

"So, once again, I give you this warning. I would hate to see such an intelligent and intriguing woman be killed by being on the wrong side of a crocodile." _'We not only have the power, but the willingness to destroy Crocodile and Baroque Works, and I am offering you a chance to be spared from the coming purge. Join us.' _Robin understood each and every hidden message with painful clarity. Robin stood ramrod-still for one second… two seconds… three seconds… before beginning her walk once again.

"Perhaps I will heed your warning, straw hat Luffy. I have indeed heard tales of this breed of sea king's viciousness, so your warning does not fall on deaf ears. However, I will have to take my leave now. Perhaps you should take your own advice, as well. Crocodile sea kings are rather… tenacious hunters, or so I'm told." Luffy could have collapsed bonelessly to the ground in joy.

"I am glad that you at least can listen to advice from the opposing side." She glanced back, and met Luffy's penetrating gaze. _'I mean it, when I said that. You have a welcome home aboard this ship and this fleet,' _his gaze said.

'…_perhaps.' _And then she leapt from the rail, onto the back of her turtle. "Let's go, banchi." With a pneumatic hiss, a canopy was raised over her head. With precise timing, the denden mushi beside her began to burble. She picked it up.

"Did you make contact with them?" said a rasping voice in her ear. Robin was silent. "…Ms. All-Sunday. Did you make contact with the pirates that are protecting the princess?"

"…no. I arrived too late. The fleet was already out of sight." Was her answer.

"Hmm… then Mr. 5's denden mushi report was off on timing. He will be reprimanded when he returns. No matter. If you were not able to reach them, then they should be headed towards Little Garden. I will dispatch Mr. 3 and Ms. Golden Week there." Robin nodded, though it went unseen. "Have you anything else to report?"

"Yes. They dispatched a decoy to fool the unluckies into thinking they were not aiding them, thereby avoiding getting sketches for the death list." She faintly heard cursing on the other end.

"Those fool animals… still, it is of little consequence. Have you made preparations for the decoy?"

"…yes. I have."

"Deal with it." and the line went dead. Robin gently placed the receiver back in its cradle, and the snail fell asleep once more.

"Sorry, straw hat…" she whispered, as she crossed her arms across her chest. "But until the time is right, I cannot go against that man…" she clenched her fists. "Forgive me…"

BOOM!

…

Luffy sighed dramatically and flopped over onto the deck. "Whooo…! Man, it's tiring to be so stiff like that! Really not my style! Being able to say whatever is much more fun!" Zoro just stared at Robin, an uncomfortable look on his face. He quickly turned to Luffy.

"Luffy… can we talk? PRIVATELY?" he asked softly. Luffy blinked and nodded.

"Sure, why not?" the two went into the captain's quarters. Zoro looked around.

"Is 'he' here right now?" Luffy concentrated for a moment, then shook his head.

"Nope. I don't know EXACTLY where he is, but if I had to guess, I'd say he's out lusting after Miss All-Sunday. Her outfit was revealing enough to cause his libido to kick in." Zoro nodded.

"Just as well." The swordsman straightened out. "Luffy. I noticed that you were extremely buddy-buddy with that woman, even though she was Mr. 0's partner and she tried to make us weak enough to be killed. Tell me truthfully: was she one of us?" Luffy blinked.

"'Us?'"

"Was she one of us, 'before'?" Zoro reiterated. The light dawned, and Luffy grinned.

"Oh, you noticed? Yeah, Robin joins us." Zoro swore.

"Dammit!" Luffy cocked his head.

"Huh? What? Why is that a bad thing?" Zoro looked away, shielding his face from Luffy.

"Nothing, nothing! Forget it! I'll work this out myself!" Luffy scowled and wrestled with Zoro's face.

"What is it, dammit! Why are you hiding your face!"

"I'm not hiding my face, dammit! Let me go!"

"No! Show me your face!" Luffy shouted.

"Wow." Gold roger said incredulously. Luffy and Zoro froze, whipping their heads as one to the interloper. Only then did they realize the compromising position they had gotten themselves into. "This probably isn't what it looks like…" the two sighed in relief. "…but I still don't want to know. I'm gone." And with that, he melted away. Luffy backed away a good ten feet, giving Zoro a wide berth as the two regained their cool.

"Now, are you going to tell me what's so bad about having Robin on the crew?" Luffy said crossly, arms folded over his chest. Zoro looked away once again, hiding his face.

"…nothing." Luffy's eyes widened.

"Was… was that… was that a BLUSH?" he said incredulously. He smirked as Zoro turned bright red. "OH! OH HO HO! HO HO! So THAT'S what's going on!"

"Shut up! Go away!" Zoro shouted, looking distinctly like he wanted a deep hole to hide in. Luffy loomed into his sight, leering.

"I kind of DID notice you were staring very intently at her face. Or… was it _somewhere else?_ Hmm? HMM? A little _lower _than her eyes, perhaps?"

"GO AWAY!"

"I can't believe it!" Luffy clasped his hands together and made a nostalgic face. "It's finally happened. Our little Zoro-kun finally grew up!" he wiped an imaginary tear away. "It took him two lifetimes, but he finally found his libido! I'm so happ-"

"SILENCE! I KILL YOU!" Zoro screamed. Luffy grinned, completely undeterred.

"So, if you think she's hot, why is having her on the crew a problem?" Zoro palmed his face.

"My goal, my dream, my ambition is to be the greatest swordsman in the world! I can't do that if I have a relationship bogging me down! If I have someone who would miss me if I somehow failed, then I could never be able to give my all!" Luffy nodded, semi-understanding.

"So, having someone around who you think is hot would distract you from your life's work. I think I can kind of understand that." He smiled warmly. "But don't you get it, Zoro? We'd all miss you if you're gone."

"Yeah, but for somebody to miss me like _that_… one day, I might have a family. But until I become the greatest swordsman and defeat Mihawk, that will always be a secondary dream." Luffy grinned.

"Amen to that." He then leered. "But, why Robin? I mean, Alvida's called the most beautiful woman in the world, and I'm told by Sanji that Nami's pretty cute too…" Zoro smirked.

"Alvida's a self-obsessed bitch, which REALLY pisses me off, and Nami's pretty much already in a relationship." Luffy's eyes widened.

"NO! You're kidding me!" he laughed uproariously. "Will wonders never cease! Zoro gets a libido, and Sanji FINALLY asks Nami out! It's a day of hilarious miracles! Oh heavenly Kronos, thank you for blessing me with hilarity in my life…" Zoro sweatdropped.

"Sanji doesn't have the twins to ask Nami out. And I'm not even going to ask why you're praying for hilarity." Luffy blinked.

"Wow! You're serious? It's not Sanji? Wow, then who could it be? And why wouldn't I pray for hilarity? It makes every day full of happy happy fun time!" he blinked. "Hmm, I've been hanging out with roger too much. I'm catching his stupidity." he tapped his chin. "Let's see, then who could it be? Not Arlong, they hate each other's guts, unfortunately…" Zoro sweatdropped again.

"You forgot 'species'…" Luffy glared.

"Don't even go there." He went back to his musings. "Who else… not gin, they don't really know each other all that well… not Alvida, they hate each other's guts, too, though that'd be pretty hot…" Zoro sweatdropped once more. "maybe Kuro, although he's a misogynist, and he doesn't strike me as her type… not Ryuuji, that's just wrong on so many different levels I don't even know where to begin…" Zoro face-vaulted.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi…"

"Wow. She's dating Usopp?" Luffy finally said as he blinked. "I never would have guessed it. Though, I guess it's kind of understandable. They're not exactly the most physically strong people on the ship, and they're also one of the original straw hats… I can see where they're coming from." Zoro facepalmed.

"My god, do I have to spell things out for you! She doesn't like Sanji, she doesn't like Usopp, she likes YOU, you dumbass!"

Silence.

More silence.

Even more silence.

"Huh?" Luffy said intelligently. Zoro grinned.

"That's right, _captain_. The navigator's in love with YOU. I was perfectly fine with just letting you two hash things out on your own, but when you brought up my love life, shit just got personal! How does it feel, having the tables turned?" Luffy made incoherent noises.

"Huh… buh… guh… duh…" he babbled. Zoro grinned triumphantly. "Zoro… please tell me you're joking." The grin slipped.

"Huh?"

"PLEASE, for the love of Kronos and Poseidon almighty, TELL ME that that was a joke!" Luffy shouted. Now Zoro was dumbfounded.

"Wait, what? Why's that a bad thing? You just said yourself that she was cute…"

"Yeah, like a sister!" Luffy kneaded his forehead, ignoring the now-familiar twinge in his stomach, which had suddenly transformed into a roaring, screaming beast. "God, Zoro, don't you get it? She's a straw-hat! Not only that, she's one of the ORIGINAL straw hats! She's practically family right now! Do you go around dating your sister just because she's hot? No!"

"I don't have a sister."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Luffy screamed. "God, why'd you do that, Zoro! Now-" he stiffened, eyes rolling into the back of his head as he slumped down, unconscious. Zoro blinked, looking around warily before poking the prone body.

"Uhh… Luffy? You there? Luffy…? Roooo-geeeer! Get in here!" the living legend materialized, staring at the prone body.

"Umm… do I want to know?"

"Probably not, but you'll need to know anyways. I told him that Nami loved him, and he pretty much had a panic attack." Gold roger winced.

"Ooch. Worst move on your part."

"Why! Why is it such a bad thing! They both dig each other, it's so blatantly obvious I'm surprised the whole crew doesn't know!" gold roger kneaded his forehead.

"You don't realize what he went through, do you?" Zoro cocked his head to the side. "When I met him for the first time in Raftel, he was having the human equivalent of a Blue Screen of Death."

"Huh?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. You haven't been back to Atlantis city properly yet, you wouldn't know about computers. In layman's terms, he was having a mental breakdown. I took him in for the twelve years that he trained, two in Atlantis and ten in Fuchsia, and he more or less got better. But during that time, he put you guys up on a pedestal." Zoro arched an eyebrow. "He values your care and friendship more than anything else in his life. He, quite literally, risked life and limb to try and become so strong that nothing would ever happen to you guys ever again, so that he can be the shield to every single one of his precious people in the world." Zoro's eyes widened. "he thinks of the way things were between you all as the way things should be, the way things ought to be, the way that things always will be; Nothing ever changing, nothing bad ever happening, just fun, laughter and friendship."

"Then, Nami liking him…" gold roger nodded.

"Exactly. That would mess with the status quo. That would irrevocably alter his perfect world of your friendship."

"But that's impossible, a child's dream! People grow, people mature, people change! Nothing ever stays the same!" gold roger nodded.

"That's what I told him when he told me his dream for the first time. He had this terrified look on his face, like the world would be pulled out from underneath his feet. The look on his face was so pathetic, so heart-wrenching that I never mentioned it again. I let his fantasy world be." Zoro sighed and pinched thee bridge of his nose.

"And I had to go and screw with his mind. Great." Gold roger shrugged.

"Oh, it's not so bad. About how many minutes ago did the conversation go bad?" Zoro shrugged.

"I don't know, five?" the king of the pirates grinned.

"Then we're still good." He placed both his hands on each of Luffy's temples and gently massaged them. Slowly, ever so slowly, a blinding white, slow-flowing fluid flowed out of his ears, causing Zoro to blink rapidly at the shining brightness. Roger quickly sliced through the liquid with his hand, separating it from the rest of the mystery liquid. Like a stray noodle, the leftovers were sucked quickly back into Luffy's head. Roger grinned triumphantly and pushed the liquid into a small bottle.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Zoro asked, staring uneasily at the fluid.

"This is Luffy's memories." Gold roger smirked and pocketed the bottle. Zoro blinked.

"Come again?"

"That was the physical manifestation of the last five minutes of Luffy's memories." Roger cracked his knuckles. "You know how the brain gets the most blood out of all of the body's organs, excluding the heart?" Zoro nodded. "Blood is a liquid, right?" Zoro nodded. "And that there are certain centers of activity that deal with memories in the brain, right?" Zoro's eyes widened. "Then if you mess with the brain matter and the blood surrounding that memory center, you can 'create' memories that you can take from the person and use however you wish." Zoro frowned uneasily.

"And… Luffy can do this?" gold roger shook his head.

"No. I haven't, nor intend to teach him this technique. And even if he somehow figured this out on his own, why would he use it? one, you can only use it to effect short-term memory, so you've got a limited time frame of usage, and two, he's not the kind of person that would do this. No, this technique is mine and mine alone." Zoro looked better after that. "And, Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Just, let things fester between those two. I know it must be aggravating, seeing them so obviously want each other without doing anything, but Luffy has to figure it out that deep down, he doesn't want the status quo between him and her, by himself. If he has it forced on him like just now, then he'll panic, and I'll have to do that whole thing again. I have no idea how bad it is for somebody's brain to do that to them repeatedly, but I'd rather not have Luffy be the guinea pig to find out." Zoro sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Great. More unresolved sexual tension… just what I need in my life." Roger grinned.

"Don't worry. Things won't stay that way for long. The shenanigans we get into are great pressure cookers for relationships. I bet you that by five more islands, they'll be doing the horizontal mambo." Zoro laughed.

"I wouldn't go that far. I'd probably say just making out." Roger's eyes gleamed.

"Is that a bet?" Zoro grinned.

"Maybe it is."

"The stakes?"

"We'll work that out when somebody wins."

"I'll drink to that." The two shook hands. And the deal was struck.

…..

Well, it's official! This is my longest chapter yet!

Haaah… there was WAAAAAY too much drama in this chapter, and not enough humor. I feel like I'm turning into a soap opera… so, that last bit was my pitiful attempt to get some lulz in here. Probably didn't work, but hey! It's the thought that counts!

So, yeah, like I said up top, there's been some bad stuff going on in my life. My school district finally got fed up with my special brand of bullshit and punted me out. they're shoving me off on another district, so it's not the same as getting expelled or whatever, but it still pisses me off that they're doing this while they still have an entirely new school program right next door! Well, whatever. I've been told by several people that they think the reason they're being so harsh is that they were trying to save the sanity of the teacher who was assigned to me (who has a psychology degree in handling problem children like moa). Apparently, I was causing her to almost snap under the strain of trying to fix me, which gives me a sort of edgy pride. I'm so damn chaotic that I make the psychologists trying to fix me go insane! I suddenly feel the need to put on a purple suit, grab a bunch of pointy knives, and ask a costume-clad Christian Bale why he's so serious.

But enough about my life! That's not what you're here for; you're here for one piece-y goodness!

Many reviews will make T.A.D. very very happy! And a happy T.A.D. is a productive T.A.D.!

Review. You know you want to.

EDIT AS OF DECEMBER 3, 2010: no, I'm not dead. Chapter 31 is just being an absolute BITCH AND A HALF to write out. I wouldn't say that I've written myself into a corner, but it's going to take a bit of thinking to work out how I'm going to get the plot moving again. damn, I wish I could skip to alabasta. That's where all my FUN ideas are.


	31. Big Trouble In Little Garden

Hi, guys. I would say no excuses, but there are some good excuses (In my mind, at least) that are covered at the bottom, as well as a very special soapbox rant. Now, back to what's been sitting on my hard drive for a year and a half.

Hmm… apparently my idea to give Luffy some complexity was met with mixed results. For those of you who questioned the wisdom of giving him some neuroses, here is my logic: Luffy is an extremely nakama-and-family oriented person. He risks his life, shaving off probably decades from his total lifespan to save just one person that he considers dear. The loss of that one person that was close to him was enough to send him into a coma; when he awoke from that coma, he turned into a machine of destruction, tearing up entire forests in his sorrow, denying ace's death all the while. (I'm just going to assume everybody's heard about his dying by now, so no need for spoiler warnings.) Just think how fucked up his psyche would be if, after losing all that he did to rescue ace, the REST of his surrogate family gets unceremoniously slaughtered by the same people that killed his brother. And to put the cherry on the NGE-level mindfuck ice cream sundae, he finds out there is no treasure at all, that there is no one piece.

His mind is shattered. Time away from the situation and gold roger's ministrations puts it back together, but there are still cracks running through, and fragments are missing. Many time travel stories send people back when their world has turned to shit, and once they get there, they shit happiness and fart rainbows. That's not how it works. The human mind can only take so much strain before it snaps. Having your entire life, your very existence, crumble to pieces around your ears, then finding out you've got a big cosmic reset button, will FUCK YOU OVER. Trust me; people have gone ape-shit for much less than this.

I'm trying to make this realistic (or at least, as realistic as you can get in a world where you eat fruit that turns your body to rubber) as possible, so please, respect my artistic license. That, and the fact that the series canon itself agrees with this idea and is giving him a more complex back-story than "this pirate guy saved me, but he got his arm bit off! Then he gave me a hat! I'm gonna be king of the pirates!"

No thank you. I like some depth in my characters.

Oh, and some people didn't like that I erased Luffy's memory with what amounted to an ass-pull power from roger. My reasoning? There was far too much drama potential to pass up there, but to use that drama, it would push things too fast. Solution? Make him forget the drama. I wasn't particularly happy with it, but it worked. Trust me, if I can control my muse, you will never ever see that power again.

That's all I have to say/rant about. Now, on with the story!

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Disclaimer: don't own.

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"Uughh…" Luffy groaned, clutching his head as he sat atop the Going Merry's figurehead. "My head is killing me… what the hell did I do, back at cactus island…?" Zoro looked around shiftily, resisting the urge to start whistling. Giving it up as a bad job, Luffy cleared his head and turned around. "OI! Nami! How far are we from the next island?"

"I don't know! The log pose doesn't give distance, only direction!" Nami shouted back. Luffy grumbled incoherently and turned back to the sea.

"Grr… they should make log poses with distance measurements…" he grumbled. "That'd be a lot smarter than just directions…"

"Oi!" Sanji shouted as he sauntered out of the kitchen. "Oi, you louts! Come have a taste of my special drink!" Luffy cheered, his bad mood completely forgotten as he raced over.

"Heheh… you know, that actually sounds really dirty, if you think about it…" Gin chuckled immaturely as he picked up a drink. "You should come up with a better name, before people start making rumors about you selling your 'special drink' to people…" Sanji blanched.

"O-OI! DUMBASS!" he attempted to smash Gin's face in, but the fighter merely danced away, laughing even harder. "I would never even think about doing something like that! Even if I did, it would only be for Alvida-Chan, Vivi-Chan or Nami-san!"

"OI! Did you hear that, girls? Sanji says he's your gigolo!" Arlong shouted, guffawing. An indignant squawk from all involved parties greeted him. Meanwhile, all the men were falling over themselves with gut-busting laughter.

"Ahahahaaa, heeheeheehee…!" Usopp giggled. "Oh, I haven't laughed this much in a while…! Stupid Sanji!" Luffy nodded, grinning like a lunatic.

"Yeah, this is really funny…!" he said, even though his stomach churned painfully when Sanji included Nami on the man-whore list. That churning subsided into more giggles when Nami whacked Sanji over the head. "Oi, Nami! What direction is this island?"

"The next island is… to the northeast!" Nami called over Sanji's corpse, pointing out the direction.

"Good! 'Cause I'm getting bored with all this sailing! I'm speeding this up a bit!" Luffy roared as he thumped his foot down onto the deck. The ship plunged down as the sea roiled around them, before a tidal wave rose from the sea. "WOOHOO!"

"Luffy, You DUMBASS!" Zoro shouted as he went whirling off the deck into the sea. Luffy blinked as many of the other crewmembers shouted their displeasure.

"Whoops! Sorry, Zoro!" Luffy merely grinned as he snapped his fingers. A plume of water sprouted, and Zoro went flying back onto the deck. Bodily. And painfully. "There we go! All better!"

"…one of these days, I am DEFINITELY going to figure out how to kill you…!" Zoro growled. Luffy just laughed harder.

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"Is that it?" gin asked, once the ship had finally slowed down. (Read: Nami got tired of Luffy's shit and knocked him out. they weren't quite sure how she hurt him through the logia, but she did.) Nami held up the log pose and aimed it at the upcoming island.

"Yep! Since it's lined up directly with Whiskey peak, it's gotta be our next island!"

"WOOHOO!" Luffy cheered and leaped up from the indent he'd been smashed into. "We're theee~re, we're theee~re, we're really really theee-"

"SHUT UP!" Nami screamed.

"I'll be good!" Luffy whimpered. Zoro snickered from his perch in the crow's nest.

"Serves him right."

"Pussy-whipped." Gold roger agreed, sitting next to Zoro. "Of course, it's always the tsundere ones that are hottest in bed, so it might be good for him after all."

"And how would you know that the tsundere ones are-" gold roger fixed Zoro with a look. "Right, stupid question. Forget I asked. Though, common knowledge says it's the quiet ones to look out for."

"Pah! Common knowledge!" gold roger scoffed. "That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. It's the tsunderes you want to watch, though the quiet ones take a very close second."

"I can't believe I'm having a serious discussion with you on this."

"My brand of idiocy is contagious. Sorry, but you're stuck with it for life." Gold roger grinned as Zoro face-palmed. "So, you know what's coming up in there?"

"Not really. Explain it to me."

"Little Garden is a prehistoric island, which basically means it didn't stop with the whole dinosaurs-and-cavemen gig when the rest of the world moved on. Most of the creatures you'll run into there are bigger than the ship itself, and meaner than a scorned lover."

Zoro grinned. "Sounds fun."

"Oh, that's not even the best part!" Gold Roger twirled his mustache. "The reason they named it Little Garden is because it's like a 'little garden' to the people who live on it. There's a pair of giants that have been brawling there for about a hundred years. Don't ask why, because I have no idea. Given what I know about giants in general, it's probably something so trivial they already forgot why they're fighting, like who drank the last keg of rum or something."

"Giants?" Zoro repeated, surprised. "And they're fighting each other? Do you think they'll turn on us?"

"Not unless we do something horrifically stupid." Gold roger twirled his mustache. "Of course, there's a good chance their fight will get messed with, since they used to be pirates. Together, they've got a bounty of 200 million."

"2-200 million!" Zoro exclaimed. "What the hell did they do?"

"They're pirates, so the usual sacking and plundering. Since they're giants, that plundering is about ten times larger, hence the huge bounty." Gold roger said dismissively as he picked his nose. "The point is, compared to the strength their combined bounty shows, the situation leaves them a ripe bounty to be plucked by anyone that can be a little sneaky. Spike one of the giant's food, the other takes them out for the smart guy, and the smart guy ambushes the remainder while he's still whooping it up about his win."

"Jeez…" Zoro grimaced. "That's what happened last time, right?"

Gold roger nodded. "From what I've pieced together over the years from Luffy's discussions, yeah, something like that happened. There's also the fact that the log pose takes over a year to reset to the next island, time that we obviously don't have. If the timeline holds up, and I dearly hope it does, the agents of Baroque Works, that show up to eliminate both us and the giants, have an already-set log pose sent to them by that messenger vulture, which is our key off of this island without getting massively side-lined. So, we have two options to choose between."

"And they are…?" Zoro made a 'continue' gesture.

"One: we let the natural way of things take its course." Gold roger held up a finger. "We let the giant's fight be rigged, let them get injured and trapped, and take out the Baroque Works agent then. Luffy probably won't like that plan, seeing as how giants and him are kindred souls, and the giants helped him out more than a few times in the future. It's also the easiest plan for the fleet itself, since the baroque agent sent at us last time was a cakewalk, and Luffy's so massively overpowered this time around it's not even fair to assume he'll get a decent fight out of anybody before we reach Skypiea. Maybe not even then, considering how that match-up went last time." Gold roger rubbed his chin.

"Skypiea?" Zoro asked.

"An island we visit later on. Probably one of Luffy's tougher fights for his skill level."

"Ah." The swordsman nodded. "And the second option?"

"The second option is we scour the jungle for their base." Gold Roger held up a second finger. "It keeps the giants from getting injured, which will no doubt please Luffy to no end. It'd also allow us to ambush them in their own home, instead of in their trap where they've got their powers primed and ready."

"Sounds like a good plan. Why is this discussion happening, then?" Zoro leaned back.

"Because we don't know WHERE their base is." Gold roger elaborated. "The one who originally found the base where they were holed up in was Sanji, and he forgot where on the island he found the base and the log pose the moment he joined up with the crew again."

"Then why don't we use the fleet to search for it? We've got manpower to spare." Said Zoro.

"Were you not listening to me?" roger asked. "The creatures on this island are vicious as all fuck! There's saber-tooth tigers the size of the ship, packs of velociraptors as large as bull elephants, and other godless creatures soaring above the treetops!" he pointed at the approaching island as an illustration. "Do you really think that the other crews are anywhere NEAR strong enough to take on creatures like that without sustaining heavy casualties?"

"Oh…" Zoro trailed off. "You've got a point. We haven't really trained the other crews up to take on things like that."

"Exactly." Gold roger sat back down. "If we really wanted to do it that way, there are certainly merits that promote it, but we'd be risking a lot of manpower; Manpower that we can't easily replace, as we generally don't get to stay long enough in one place to set up an effective recruiting campaign. In other words, until we create name recognition and people seek us out on their own, whatever casualties we take are casualties we're going to be stuck with for quite some time. In order to survive in the future with anything resembling a fleet, we're going to have to get these guys up to scratch. As it is now, they're all the same dime-a-dozen mooks that Luffy could beat in his sleep, even without the Mizu Mizu."

"Right…" Zoro sighed. "So, in other words, the first plan is the best one on the table, because we know things will already work out, and we'll save a lot of lives being uselessly lost."

"Plus, we get to see Nami and Vivi in a wonderbra." Gold roger grinned lecherously.

"Wait, what?" Zoro blinked. "Why were Nami and Vivi in a wonderbra?"

"Because their clothes got burned off from escaping from the agent's trap. He's some sort of candle-man, so they melted the wax to escape." Gold roger grinned. "Gotta say, though, it'd be a wonderful sight to see…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

"It's been there since day one!" gold roger retorted.

"Ugh." Zoro face-palmed. "I don't know how Luffy dealt with you for over ten years. I've barely known you for more than a month and I already want to slice you into bits."

"It's an acquired taste, I'm sure." Roger grinned even wider. "So, what do you think we should pitch to the captain? Let things go, or shape how things end up?"

"You're talking to me about changing the past before talking to the time-traveler himself?" Zoro quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Gold roger nodded. "I mean, I'm his teacher, and ultimately the one who gave him this second chance in the first place, but he's… he's…"

"Luffy?" Zoro finished.

"Exactly! He's Luffy. No matter how awesome I am, no matter what I teach him, he'll always hold you guys in higher esteem than me. Not by much, but you're still higher up his advice list. Once you start learning about what he did in the future, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts going to you for counsel more than me." Gold roger smiled, not unkindly. "It's simply how he works. You got into his heart first, and that's the game right there."

"I find that hard to believe." Zoro crossed his arms. "From what I can tell, Luffy hasn't exactly had a stable lifestyle. The fact that you stayed with him through twelve whole years, without ever leaving, has to mean something."

"Do you know how much Luffy treasures his hat?" gold roger asked suddenly.

"Yeah… why?" asked Zoro.

"He doesn't let anybody touch it, except for the very closest people, the ones that he would willingly die for. Do you want to know how many times Luffy gave you his hat throughout his adventures?"

"Sure…" Zoro nodded.

"Three times." Zoro looked miffed at the low number. Gold roger shrugged. "That's probably because you get into just about as many life-threatening fights as he does, so that low number is less about trust and more about it being as safe around you as it is around him, which means not very."

"Oh." Zoro looked better after hearing that.

"Do you know how many times he has given Nami his hat?"

"How many?" Zoro asked.

"Somewhere around five or six."

Zoro's eyebrows shot skyward. "I'm only slightly lower than the woman he loves?" he asked incredulously, the framing giving his low number a significantly different feel.

"Yes. If I didn't know that the boy is moony-eyed over the navigator and just based it off how you two act together, I would have said he chased chaps instead of skirts." Zoro was too stunned to comment on the vulgar saying. Gold roger grinned. "It's mind-boggling, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you know how many times Luffy has let me keep his hat safe for him?"

"How many? Two? Three?" Zoro guessed.

"None." Roger said with finality. Zoro was silent. "No matter how much you may say that it's cruel to myself, that I'm wrong, that Luffy does care about me, the proof is in his deeds. He only gives his hat to those that he trusts his very life to, the people he wants to protect his legacy in case he doesn't survive, the people he would die for again and again." gold roger stared up into the sky.

"I am not one of those people."

"…" Zoro was silent. Gold roger sighed.

"So, what are we going to do about little garden?"

"…" Zoro stood up and walked to the ladder. "I'll go talk to Luffy."

"Yeah. You do that." Gold roger mumbled as Zoro descended down from the crow's nest. "You do that…" and gold roger faded into mist.

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"You wanna run that by me one more time?" Luffy asked, his face curled in confusion.

"Our 'mutual friend' has explained the situation we're coming up on in little garden." Zoro repeated. "So, I thought about it, and I think that instead of trying to mold things to the way you want, like on the previous islands, you should just let things go as it wants to go."

"But…" now Luffy's face began to curl in anger. "But if you know 'the situation' then you know what is going to happen to those two! I can't just sit back and watch that happen!"

"And how are you going to prevent it?" Zoro asked. "Using the mediocre crew that we've picked up, that is nowhere near a fifth of the strength of anyone on this ship, COMBINED? If we send those guys into there, they'll get slaughtered. Ms. All-Sunday said that little garden would take care of us all without any effort on their part. That's not true in our case, but she obviously had the proof to back it up! Regular people, like the crews we've picked up, will die in there. Don't doubt that for a minute."

"…" Luffy was silent.

"You understand?" Zoro asked.

"…I understand what you're getting at." Luffy said after a moment of silence. "And you have a point when you're talking about their levels of strength."

"So, this means…?"

"But, I cannot simply allow things to 'flow'." Luffy nodded. "I want to mix things up. Status quo is not god. It's not in my nature to let something like that sit on its own."

Zoro sighed. "Right… I forgot who I was talking to." He shrugged. "Oh, well. If you want to do it that way, then what's your plan of attack? The weakness of the crew doesn't just go away because you say so."

"I know…" Luffy frowned as the island began to loom over them. "And I don't want any of them to die… what to do…" he went silent, stroking his chin.

"…I wonder…" Luffy mumbled as he looked up.

"Idea?" Zoro asked.

"Maybe. If we have the captains of the respective ships go back, if they and the vice-captain escort bands around the island, we can get ground covered and have them safe. We could even use this as a training opportunity, let the men fight much more difficult enemies with someone stronger supervising."

"…that could work." Zoro admitted. "Wouldn't cover as much ground as we talked about, and the mooks will probably still get somewhat banged up, but that seems a better idea than what we thought of."

"So we're all set?" Luffy asked.

"If you're certain about this, then I can't complain." Zoro shrugged. "You're the captain; you've got the final say."

"Alright then." Luffy nodded. "Kuro! Gin! Arlong! Get in the briefing room, now! I've got a job for you!"

"Eh?" gin perked up from his drink. "What about?"

"Just get in the briefing room!"

"Jeez…" gin groaned. "I hate special jobs. They always mean something's going to go wrong."

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"So this is little garden?" Alvida commented, hefting her mace. "There's nothing 'little' as far as I can see!"

"It's not as cute as its name, I'll agree." Nami spared the log pose a glance. "This is where we're supposed to be, though."

"Yep!" Luffy chirped. "All ships, prepare for landing!" a shout of approval echoed across the fleet as the other ships pulled ahead.

"L-Land? But, Th-this is uncharted territory, an untamed jungle!" Usopp stammered. "Can't we just skip this island?"

"Nope. We didn't get a chance to stock up at whiskey peak." Sanji took a drag on his cigarette. "If we don't get food here, we'll starve before we get to the next island."

"Plus, the log pose has to set before we can leave, otherwise we won't know where we're going." Nami added. Usopp moaned.

"It's going to be alright!" Luffy encouraged the cowardly sniper. "Just watch out for the wildlife and you'll be alright!"

"There's MONSTERS too!" Usopp screamed. A second later, an ear-shattering screech answered that question. Nami and Usopp cowered. "I KNEW IT! THERE'S MONSTERS ON THIS ISLAND!"

"Well, of course there are monsters." Alvida said confidently, though she was biting her lip nervously. "I don't recognize any of those plants, and with the trees and bushes as big as they are, the animals are probably the same size."

"AAAAAAAH! STOP TALKING, ALL OF YOU!" Usopp tore a path into the cabins. Luffy just chuckled.

"Hey, it's a good thing! If everything's so big, that just means there's lots more food we can get! Everybody, prepare for-" Luffy whirled around and rubber-punched a feathered monstrosity that was swooping down at his head. The monster screeched in pain and flew off, shedding feathers as it went.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Gin screeched.

"Well, given the fact that it tried to grab me, I'd say it was hungry." Luffy grinned.

"I MEAN…" Gin threw his hands up as Luffy continued to giggle. "Fine! Whatever. Make fun of a guy that's freaked the hell out about giant flying things trying to eat you!"

"Oh, come on!" Luffy laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Little Garden is a Prehistoric Island! The jungle and the volcano have made this island too intense for humans to populate, so this island is millions of years behind all the other islands! Meaning we've got dinosaurs still stomping around here!"

BOOM! The volcano erupted, spewing ash into the sky.

"DINOSAURS?" Alvida screamed. Kuro was looking rather pale, and Nami looked just about ready to curl up in a ball and cry.

Arlong, however, looked positively rapturous. "SHAHAHA!" he cackled. "Dinosaurs, you say? I wonder how the strength of a fishman stacks against them."

"You'll have to find out if we want to eat." Sanji said calmly, dragging on his cigarette. "We're almost out of provisions, and if we're hard off, the other ships must be down to eating the tack and biscuits."

"yep." Zoro wandered over to the anchor. "Oi, Gin." He called out as a massive Tiger wandered out of the trees. "Mind taking care of this guy? He'll be a real pain if we try to dock."

"No problem." With a leap and a flick of a switch, both of his chain-whips were out, slamming into the tiger's head and mulching its skull. The tiger drop to the ground, dead as a doornail. "And that's how you do it!" gin boasted.

"Yeah, yeah." Zoro grumbled as he tossed the anchor out. Luffy cracked his knuckles and grinned.

"You know what to do, Gin, Kuro, Arlong!"

"So that's what you meant by 'difficult locals'…" Kuro muttered. "Joy."

"HA! The men will love you for this, Captain!" Arlong laughed as he leapt overboard to join the oncoming ships.

"U-Usopp and I can stay behind, right?" Nami shivered nervously. "You know, to g-guard the ship?"

"If you want, sure." Luffy shrugged. "As long as they don't get smashed by a T-Rex or something, I'm fine with anybody staying behind.

"A T-REX?" Usopp shrieked as he started out of the cabin, before slamming the door. Loud clacks and clatters of locks were heard sliding into place. "I AM NOT COMING OUT AS LONG AS WE ARE HERE!"

"You certainly know how to polarize opinions, captain…" Kuro said as he sauntered down the gangplank, rejoining his visibly shaken crew.

Luffy simply laughed. "Everybody, let's GOOO!"

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Ugh. This is embarrassingly short for me, but I've had you guys on the string for so long, I think that getting anything out at all to prove I'm still alive is better than leaving it as it is for god-knows however long it takes to get it up to my regular length.

I'll be honest with you guys, it's difficult to write for this. Not that I've lost the passion, or that I don't know where to go… but, you remember last chapter (god, a YEAR AND A HALF! I'm completely ashamed.) When I said that I was shunted off to a new school? Well, this last year that I spent in that school, I've had my priorities shift quite a bit. Where once I used my time to lovingly write fanfiction stories for my enjoyment and yours, I now scramble to keep up with the constant deluge of schoolwork.

I haven't stopped writing in the past year; if any of you read my profile, (it's been cleaned up recently, so it's not god-awful long to get through crap you don't care about) you'd know that in the past year or so, I've been Co-authoring a story with a guy named Majin Hentai X; the story is called Naruto: Game Of The Year Edition, which broke the 1000 review mark on chapter 16. It's based off of Chibi-Reaper's story, and it's where Naruto finds out his entire life is basically a Videogame, for reasons unknown.

Now that I've got some down-time from writing that, I thought I'd come back to my original labor of love… but… it's hard. It's hard to write for this story. It's like those people who were at the top of their game, winning accolades from everybody. They step away from the game, stop practicing as hard, if at all… then, when they try to step back in, they handily get their ass whooped. That's me. I can't remember how to write for this story. That's probably the Number-One reason why it's taken so long to get this out: I'm trying to teach myself how to write for myself again, out of my own brain and without any kind of pre-written skeleton like I've been doing with Majin.

So, yeah. I deeply apologize for how long it took, for so short a chapter. I hope that finally moving on from this place and getting reviews from you all will finally inspire me again.

Thank you for putting up with all the shit I've put you through.

PS: If any of you see a story by a guy named Saveme57 get updated, tell him that as far as I'm concerned, the general premise of his story 'It Begins Again' is blatantly plagiarized from The Will Of D.

Short the atrocious grammar, and having Nami also travel back in time with him (which is an embarrassingly transparent shoehorning of the romantic subplot), his first chapter is very nearly taken word-for-word from my first chapter. The entire crew save Luffy and Nami are killed via a surprise attack on Raftel by the marines, Gold Roger is alive and has a magical hourglass made by the ancient civilization that can travel through time, Luffy GETS A SECOND DEVIL FRUIT THAT GIVES HIM CONTROL OVER WATER AND DOESN'T MAKE HIM DROWN… it's exactly the main premise of my story.

I used to have an entire page-long rant at the top of the story tearing this guy a new asshole, but reading it again, he seems to be TRYING to distance himself from the plagiarized concept in his newer chapters, so I decided to be calmer about it, but it's still my original idea, and he's still stolen it. So, everybody, tell Saveme57 this (If he doesn't figure it out himself, since he's got this story alerted and favorited): I'm flattered, but plagiarism is still plagiarism. You would get sued out of house and home if you did this in a real book. Fanfiction is a little more low-key than that, but you're still stealing somebody's intellectual property and calling it your own.

I am, however, willing to let this slide… but only if you make this original. I started this story to try and inspire others on this site to put fingers to keyboards and create universes all their own. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but when you imitate too much, you're not using your own creativity to make masterpieces. All authors gain inspiration off of peers, but the difference between that and plagiarism, is that they take the core principle (Luffy travels back in time) and change the details enough that the story is completely new. So, instead of gold roger having a magic hourglass made by the Atlanteans when he reaches Raftel, Franky created a cola-powered time machine that Luffy uses while the ship is getting blown to bits by a marine blockade. Do you see how different the execution and dynamic is, while the concept of time-traveling luffy with his crew all dying, remains essentially the same?

So, take this story that has plagiarized mine, and fix it. Make it something that I haven't seen, whether that be in Canon or in any of the fanfictions on this site. If you can't do that, get rid of it, because you are stealing my idea wholesale.

In other words, take this story somewhere new, or take it down.

This is The Animaniac Dude, signing off.

Review. You know you want to.


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